Missing Person Investigation

Date:       May 16, 2016
Re:          Missing Person Investigation

On Friday, May 13, at approximately 1 p.m., the Mono County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a group of campers at Crowley Lake reporting that one member of their group was missing.  The missing person, Juan Manuel Vierheller, age 27, of La Habra, had last been seen in the very early hours of Friday morning at their campsite near the shore of Beaver Cove at Crowley Lake.

Deputies were dispatched to the missing person’s last known location, and they conducted a search of the immediate area.  They found no sign of him in the surrounding terrain, but there were indications that he went into the waters of Crowley Lake.  Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) responded to assist with the search, and two Sheriff boats were deployed onto the water.  The search continued until dark, but Vierheller was not located.

Mono County Sheriff’s deputies and SAR resumed the search when daylight broke on Saturday, May 14, now with the assistance of an Inyo County Sheriff’s boat, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Dive Team and a California Highway Patrol helicopter.  All of these resources were utilized during the daylight hours of the weekend, scouring land and water for any sign of Vierheller.  Despite these efforts, by the evening of Sunday, May 15, Vierheller was not found, and the search was called off.

Juan Manuel Vierheller is described as a Male Hispanic, 27 years old, 6’ 1”, 192 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes.  He was last seen wearing black pants, Vans style or work boot type shoes, possible blue or brown flannel shirt, and a trucker style cap with the word “Captain” above the bill.  The possibility remains that he walked away from the campsite, and until he is located, this investigation will be an open Missing Person case.

Many thanks to our partner agencies who assisted this weekend: Inyo County Sheriff’s Office,
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Crowley Lake Fish Camp personnel, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Mono County Sheriff’s SAR.