Nixon, NV… The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit announced this morning that they are scaling back efforts to locate a missing 79-year-old California man in the Coyote Canyon area northeast of Nixon, Nevada where the missing man’s car was found last weekend. An average of 40 to 45 personnel from Washoe County and a number of other northern Nevada law enforcement agencies have been actively searching a 400-square mile area of remote and rugged terrain since Monday morning but have not yet been able to locate Warren Alford Hagyard of Pioneer, California….

At this time, search supervisors have decided to “step back” from the active search in order to review strategies for continuing effort. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Amador County Office would like to express their appreciation to the following agencies for their assistance with the search to date:

Pyramid Lake Tribal Police, Pyramid Lake Search and Rescue, Humboldt County Search and Rescue, Douglas County Search and Rescue, Churchill County Search and Rescue (including fixed wing flight support), Pershing County Search and Rescue, Lyon County Search and Rescue, Carson City Search and Rescue, and the Carson City Sheriff’s Mounted Posse Unit.

The following is from a press release distributed on Monday, May 5, 2014:

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit is currently searching the Coyote Canyon area off State Route 447 northeast of Nixon, Nevada, for a 79-year-old man missing from Amador County, California.

According to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office, on May 5, 2014 their Office was contacted by a subject that had been four-wheeling in the area of Pyramid Lake near Nixon on May 3, 2014. The caller reported that while on a very rough dirt trail approximately 10 miles from the trailhead he located a blue Honda Civic in a creek bed which appeared stuck on rocks.

The vehicle was unoccupied, with the windows partially down. The subject took pictures of the car and marked the GPS location of the vehicle. The caller further reported to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office that this morning upon researching the vehicle on the Internet, he learned it was associated with 79-year-old Pioneer, California resident, Warren Alford Hagyard, whose been missing since April 21, 2014.

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office who utilized their RAVEN helicopter to locate the vehicle. Volunteers from Washoe County Search and Rescue have also been mobilized to assist with the search for Mr. Hagyard. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office does not believe there are any suspicious circumstances.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office celebrated 150 years of proud service and community partnership in 2011. Sheriff Michael Haley is the 25th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County. His office continues to be the only full service public safety agency operating within northern Nevada and is responsible for operating the consolidated detention facility, regional crime lab, Northern Nevada Regional Intelligence Center, Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, court security, service of civil process, traditional street patrols and Regional Animal Services.
###