Nevada

Missing camper explains how she survived 3 weeks lost in Sierra Nevada

Published

10 months ago

May 17, 2025

Missing camper explains how she survived 3 weeks lost in Sierra Nevada

FRESNO, Calif. – The survival story of a missing camper who spent nearly three weeks lost in the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains has stunned even the most experienced rescuers.

Story of survival

What we know:

The tale of Tiffany Slaton, which includes battling blizzards, injury, hunger, and isolation, is one reminiscent of the competition game shows Survivor or Alone.

Though the 27-year-old’s story isn’t TV.

As Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said, it’s an “incredible story of perseverance, determination and survival.”

Slaton, of Jeffersonville, Georgia, had been on a solo camping trip through the Sierra National Forest, part of a “bucket list” adventure before setting off to medical school.

Her journey began April 14 in the Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake areas. She traveled by electric bike with basic gear, including two sleeping bags and a tent.

She made it as far as Kaiser Pass, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, and also passed through the Edison Lake and Golden Lake areas.

At one point, Slaton fell off the side of a mountain. She later told reporters at a news conference on Friday she was unconscious for nearly two hours. She said she had to splint one leg and pop the other back into place herself.

“Thinking of going over Kaiser Pass, and there is somewhere between 10 and 12 feet of snow. The road hadn’t even been plowed yet at the time that she went over,” Zanoni said.

Slaton ultimately had to abandon her electric bike at the trailhead for Hopkins Lake.

An avalanche blocked the road, and though she tried calling 911 repeatedly, the calls didn’t go through. Her GPS suggested the nearest Starbucks was 18 miles away — closer than the nearest trail entrance.

That’s when the most intense phase of her survival began.

Brutal conditions

Dig deeper:

She endured dehydration, hunger, extreme sun exposure that damaged her eyes, and brutal snowstorms — all while suffering from Ballerina Syndrome, a rare condition that prevents her from keeping her heels on the ground.

She ran out of most of her food within five days.

Her family last heard from her on April 20 and reported her missing on April 29. Search crews began a massive effort, covering 600 square miles between May 6 and 10.

How she survived

What they’re saying:

“I managed to survive off of these leeks and boiling the snowmelt for a very long period of time,” Slaton said.

A traveling dialysis technician, archery coach, and permaculturist, Slaton attributes her survival to both her physical conditioning and life skills she learned growing up on her family’s small farm in Georgia.

She was finally found on May 15 by Christopher Gutierrez and his employees at the Vermilion Valley Resort near Mono Hot Springs. The resort had been snowed in, but once roads were cleared that day, Gutierrez visited the property to begin summer preparations.

During the check, they noticed a door open at one of the rentals, known as the Boat House.

“I see some shoes down there, and I’m like, okay, well, it’s just a hiker who decided to hold up in the blizzard that we had that previous night and so as soon as we start making our way there, here comes Tiffany pops out deer in the headlights,” Gutierrez shared in a news conference on Wednesday.

He recounted the powerful moment she saw him and his workers.

“Didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug,” the resort owner shared, “And it was a pretty surreal moment.”

Slaton told reporters that if Gutierrez hadn’t found her when he did, she would have been dead after enduring 13 grueling snowstorms.

“I would not be here,” she said. “It was going to be the last one if he hadn’t have come that day. They would have found my body there.”

Gutierrez drove Slaton to a staging area, where deputies met her.

Despite surviving an avalanche, two landslides, and more than a dozen heavy snowstorms, Slaton’s injuries were limited to small cuts, burns, and eye damage from sun exposure.

“Nothing that I don’t think time will be able to heal,” she said.

At the back of her mind throughout the ordeal was one goal: to get back to her family in time for her birthday. She was found on May 14 — and the next day, her actual birthday, she was reunited with her family in California.

The Source: Information for this story came from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and Tiffany Slaton.

California

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Nevada

Triple-Double Performance By Corey Camper Jr. Pushes Nevada Past Liberty 73-63

Published

10 hours ago

March 22, 2026

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Triple-Double Performance By Corey Camper Jr. Pushes Nevada Past Liberty 73-63

(Credit: Derek Raridon/MW Connection)

In front of another vibrant crowd at Lawlor, Nevada welcomed another opponent in Liberty in the second round of the NIT. It was a close one that included the Pack being down within the final five minutes of the game, but Nevada found its way to lock it back down and win 73-63.

“I’ve been in this before as a player and a coach several times, and it’s all about the crowd,” Nevada head coach Steve Alford said.

Final: Liberty 63, Nevada 73

Liberty took advantage of a missed shot by Nevada and, in return, hit a wide-open dunk for an early 2-0 start. Nevada began the game 0-6, allowing Liberty to start 6-0 after just three minutes. Elijah Price fought his way through the paint to finally get the Pack on the board, cutting it to a 6-2 game.

The Wolf Pack continued to score in the paint, cutting it down to a 9-6 Liberty lead that included the Flames hitting a two and a half minute scoring drought. The Flames broke it up pretty quickly, but Tayshawn Comer hit the first three for the Pack to make it a two-point deficit.

Nevada’s first lead of the game came just under the 12-minute mark, paired with a 7-0 Nevada run. Both sides stalled offensively for a bit, but Tyler Rolison woke things up for the Pack with a shot beyond the arc for a 19-14 lead under nine minutes. Rolison hit another shot with a fadeaway jumper to push Nevada over the 20-point mark.

Liberty was forced to call a timeout after the Pack went on another hot offensive drive, this time with a 6-0 run to make it a 25-16 Nevada lead. The Flames, despite starting the game off with the lead, struggled to find the bucket after those first three minutes. That was particularly the case from the three-point line, starting the game 0-9 from that spot.

The Flames were able to cut it back down to a four-point deficit and kept pace with that score for a few minutes. Nevada went on to score and widen the gap, but Liberty kept finding ways to claw back in, specifically from the free-throw line.

Liberty hit its first three of the game with 40 seconds left in the first half, finishing those first 20 minutes going 1-10 from deep. The Flames shot 12-26 from the field as a whole with just one turnover. Nevada shot 15-26 from the field and 2-8 from deep with four turnovers.

Corey Camper Jr. got things started in the second half with a score in the paint to make it 37-31 out of halftime. Kaleb Lowery kept it going with a three-pointer, followed by another slam from Price, and it was quickly a 42-31 Nevada lead.

While it wasn’t a huge scoring night for Camper, he did reach a few career milestones tonight. His 13 rebounds and 10 assists were both career highs, with his previous assist record also coming against Liberty last year while Camper was at UTEP. Camper went on to collect a triple-double with 10 points.

“I sure hope we can find someone like that coming up in the portal, cause he [Camper] was a diamond in the rough,” Alford said about the senior guard. “And I’m not just talking about how his development as a player these eight months has been unbelievable, but he’s a high character who’s been raised the right way.”

Despite a hot start to the half, Nevada wasn’t able to keep Liberty quiet for long. A few fast-break opportunities, including a deep three that looked like it had no chance of actually going in, cut the Flames deficit down to a two-point game at 50-48 with 11 minutes on the clock.

Liberty quickly took its first lead since the beginning of the first half with yet another three. It marked an 11-0 run for the Flames that made it 54-50. Nevada broke its scoring drought of over two minutes with a score in the paint to cut it back down, but Liberty responded with a layup of its own, making it 56-52 Flames with 9:02 left.

Nevada clawed its way back into the game, tying it at 58-58 with just over five minutes to go. Liberty guard Brett Decker Jr. hit a three in response, retaking the lead at 61-58. Decker would go on to finish the night with 20 points on 6-13 shooting.

Price gave the Wolf Pack the lead once again with free throws, making it a 62-61 Nevada lead with 3:21 to go. Price would go on to score 15 points, the team high on the night, off of 5-8 shooting.

The Pack turned in a nice 9-0 run that was capped by an electric three-pointer from Comer for a 67-61 Nevada lead. It turned into a 15-2 run over the final three minutes that put a bow on this one and sent Nevada to the quarterfinals.

Nevada shot 25-54 from the floor as a team and 4-17 from three. Liberty shot 23-57 from the floor and 5-22 from three.

“They’re top 20 in the country in threes, and we held them to four,” Alford said about holding Liberty away from the three-point line.

Nevada will face the winner of Auburn vs. Seattle U, which tips off tomorrow, March 22. If Auburn wins, Nevada will travel for the first time this NIT. If Seattle U wins, Nevada will host the quarterfinal game.

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Nevada

Liberty vs Nevada Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today’s NIT Tournament Game

Published

22 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Liberty vs Nevada Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today’s NIT Tournament Game

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The Nevada Wolfpack look to stay hot when they welcome the Liberty Flames on Saturday night in the second round of the NIT.

Vaughn Weems has been dominant of late for the Wolfpack, and my Liberty vs. Nevada predictions explain why he’s poised to have another big game.

Read on for my college basketball picks for Saturday, March 21.

Liberty vs Nevada prediction

Who will win Liberty vs Nevada?

Nevada: The Wolfpack are 16-2 at home this season, with nine wins in a row following the 14-point victory over Murray State. Liberty’s defense has been nearly non-existent in its last 10 games, and lost four of its last seven games — with all four defeats coming against Quad-3 and Quad-4 opponents. Nevada’s superior size and dominance on the glass will offset Liberty’s ability to score.

Liberty vs Nevada best bet: Vaughn Weems Over 15.5 points (+100)

Vaughn Weems is primed to have a big game against the Liberty Flames. He’s averaging 16.6 points over his last eight games, and has made seven baskets at the rim in each of his last two.

That will likely be his primary focus against a Liberty team whose starting lineup averages a hair over 6-foot-2 and struggles to rebound.

Weems has four offensive boards in the last two contests, leading to second-chance points and FT attempts.

This is a perfect spot for him to continue to assert himself and get whatever he wants at the rim.

Covers

COVERS INTEL:

The Flames have allowed a staggering 118 close-range baskets over their last seven games.

Liberty vs Nevada same-game parlay

Liberty’s defensive struggles will be exacerbated by the Nevada Wolf Pack’s outside shooting.

The Wolfpack rank 54th in the country in 3-point accuracy, bad news for a Liberty defense allowing opponents to hit better than 38% from deep. Add in Nevada’s height advantage, and it’s a spot where the Flames will fail to cover for the ninth time in 11 games.

Both teams have been clearing their recent totals. The Over is 12-6 in Nevada’s last 18, while the Over has cashed in 10 of 13 for Liberty.

Liberty vs Nevada SGP

Our beyond the arc SGP: The Weems and Price show

Elijah Price pulled down 13 rebounds in the win over Murray State and leads the Wolfpack with 8.4 boards per game.

This ties into the same narrative I’ve discussed with the interior defense and height issues on the Liberty side. Price hasn’t hit double-digit scoring in four straight games in part because he can’t stay out of foul trouble.

Liberty shoots a lot of outside efforts and doesn’t draw fouls at a high rate. Extra minutes for Price will lead to elevated scoring, and I expect he’ll flirt with a double-double.

Liberty vs Nevada SGP

Vaughn Weems Over 15.5 points
Elijah Price Over 11.5 points
Vaughn Weems Over 5.5 rebounds
Elijah Price Over 8.5 rebounds

Liberty vs Nevada odds

Spread: Liberty +7.5 | Nevada -7.5
Moneyline: Liberty +300 | Nevada -400
Over/Under: Over 146 | Under 146

Liberty vs Nevada betting trend to know

Liberty has hit the Over in 10 of their last 13 games (+6.70 Units / 47% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Liberty vs. Nevada.

How to watch Liberty vs Nevada

Location	Lawlor Events Center, Reno, NV
Date	Saturday, March 21, 2026
Tip-off Advertisement	9:00 p.m. ET
TV	ESPN+

Liberty vs Nevada key injuries

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Nevada

Nevada pastor William O’Neill McCurdy Sr. dies at 75, family says

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Nevada pastor William O’Neill McCurdy Sr. dies at 75, family says

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — William O’Neill McCurdy Sr., a longtime Nevada pastor, entrepreneur and influential community figure with decades of civic and political ties across the state, has died, his family announced.

McCurdy Sr., the father of Clark County Commissioner William McCurdy II, passed away Friday. His family says he was surrounded by family and loved ones, and was “held high by the thoughts and prayers from all those who cared about him throughout our community.”

Born in 1950, McCurdy Sr. graduated from Valley High School and attended Western Nevada College in Carson City. He served as a pastor in Nevada beginning in 1978.

Although he never held public office, McCurdy Sr. was described as a significant influence in the community and in Nevada politics dating back to Grant Sawyer, with connections spanning governors, senators and judges statewide.

McCurdy Sr. was an entrepreneur and a former constable for the Las Vegas Township. He served on numerous boards and committees, including the Citizens’ Advisory for Regional Transportation, Habitat for Humanity’s board of directors, the Mineral County Economic Advisory Committee, the City of Las Communities Block Grant Advisory Board and as a Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority commissioner.

He was named a Distinguished Nevadan by the Nevada System of Higher Education in 2021 and became an inaugural inductee into Historic Westside Legacy Park in 2022.

McCurdy Sr. was the owner of McCurdy & McCurdy Media Group, a business he and his wife, Billie, built beginning in 1992. The family has been a fixture on the Historic Westside and in Nevada for more than seven decades.

The family described McCurdy Sr. as “a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, pastor, mentor, and friend.”

The McCurdy family also expressed gratitude to the medical staff at University Medical Center, particularly the UMC Critical Care Team, citing their “professionalism, grace, and compassion” during McCurdy’s final days.

The family thanked the community for its thoughts and prayers.

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