According to CNN and USA Today, Ian Irwin, 72, and Carol Kiparsky, 77, both of Palo Alto, vanished Feb. 14 while hiking near a vacation home where they were staying. After a multiday search, crews discovered the pair shouting for help in a drainage area near Shell Beach, the outlets reported.
The pair, who drank water from a puddle to survive, were transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital and treated for hypothermia, officials said.
A big shout out to @sonomasheriff for the amazingly quick response, professionalism, and their ability to get Carol and Ian to the medics the fastest way possible. pic.twitter.com/jr7RwuiPII
— Marin County Sheriff (@MarinSheriff) February 22, 2020
Carol and Ian were found alive by Marin County Search and Rescue . They’ve been rescued and are currently being treated...
Posted by Marin County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, February 22, 2020
The couple's family issued a statement Sunday thanking rescue workers.
"Carol and Ian have met with both the Marin County Sheriff's Office and search and rescue team members," the statement said. "They will be forever grateful for the hard work and dedication put forth by all of the search and rescue volunteers and first responders from all over the Bay Area who searched every day for them."
They also asked for privacy "until they are ready to tell the story of how they survived the unimaginable seven nights in the Inverness wilderness," according to the statement.
Statement from the Irwin and Kiparsky Family
Posted by Marin County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, February 23, 2020
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