Tucson, Ariz. - A 59-year-old man dialed 911 for help, on November 1, to request assistance after getting separated from his hunting party in the desert west of Sasabe, Ariz.
At approximately 8 p.m., a deputy with the Pima County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Unit contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection Tucson Border Patrol Sector Communications to request assistance in locating the caller, identified only as R. Alvarez.
Alvarez had provided his GPS coordinates to the deputy, which placed him at an area north of Joe King Ranch Road, approximately four miles west of State Route 286. Border Patrol agents on the ground and an Office of Air and Marine AS-350 helicopter responded to the area and located Alvarez at approximately 8:30 p.m.
After agents determined Alvarez was in good health and not in need of medical attention, he was turned over to the Pima County deputy on the scene.
The Arizona Sonora Desert is dangerous. Temperatures can fluctuate from 120 degrees Fahrenheit to below freezing. All CBP agencies in Arizona are committed to working closely with federal, state, local, and tribal agencies to save the lives of anyone in need, regardless of nationality.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.