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

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

Published

7 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.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.

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Nevada

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

Published

19 hours 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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Nevada

How to watch Nevada basketball vs. Liberty in second round of NIT

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

How to watch Nevada basketball vs. Liberty in second round of NIT

Nevada will try to advance to the quarterfinals of the NIT when the Wolf Pack hosts Liberty in a second-round NIT men’s basketball game on Saturday at Lawlor Events Center.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Nevada got a huge second-half effort to beat Murray State, 89-75, on Wednesday in a first-round game.

The winner of the Nevada-Liberty game will face the winner of the Auburn-Seattle University game (3:30 p.m. Sunday; TV- ESPN2).

If Auburn wins Sunday, the No. 1 seed Tigers would host a quarterfinal game on either Tuesday or Wednesday. If Auburn loses to Seattle U on Sunday, and No. 2 seed Nevada wins, the Wolf Pack could host the quarterfinal game.

How to watch Nevada vs. Liberty

Liberty (26-7; 17-3 CUSA) at Nevada (23-12; 12-8 MW)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lawlor Events Center
TV/Stream: ESPN-Plus (Play-by-play Derek Jones; Analyst: John Williams)
Radio: 95.5 KNEV (Play-by-play: John Ramey; Analyst: Nick Fazekas)
Tickets: nevadawolfpack.evenue.net
Line: Nevada favored by 7.5

Last time out

Nevada beat Murray State 89-75 on Wednesday to advance.

As a team, the Pack shot 51 percent from the field, 33 percent from three, and 89 percent from the free-throw line. Vaughn Weems led the Pack offense with 23 points, and grabbing five rebounds. Corey Camper Jr. scored 17 points and was one rebound short of a career high with eight.

Elijah Price led the Wolf Pack with 13 rebounds, 12 on the defensive end. He also had three steals, while Kaleb Lowery had two.

Nevada had just five turnovers while forcing 15 from the Racers, and outscored Murray State in points off turnovers (24-5), points in the paint (44-28), second-chance points (12-9) and fast-break points (17-9).

This is the first meeting between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Liberty Flames.

Liberty finished 17-3 in Conference USA regular season, earning the outright regular season title in the league for a second straight year.

Zach Cleveland earned Conference USA Player of the Year, while head coach Ritchie McKay garnered CUSA Coach of the Year, along with four total All-CUSA performers and an All-Defensive team member.

Alford: Crowd was into it and really loud in win over Murray State

Nevada basketball coach Steve Alford says the crowd was a big factor in Wednesday’s win over Murray State in the NIT

About Liberty

Nevada head coach Steve Alford said Liberty should have received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Flames won Conference USA’s regular season by three games.

“We know we have a really, really good basketball team coming in here Saturday,” Alford said. “We’ve got a really tough matchup with Liberty.”

Liberty broke a tie game with 1:18 left to beat George Mason 77-71 on Tuesday in their first-round NIT game.

The game was tied at 67 with 1:18 to play in the game, but the Flames scored 10 of the next 12 points to close out their second-ever NIT victory and second victory over an A-10 foe this season.

Liberty improved to 26-7 overall. It was the Flames’ 11th road win of the year.

For Liberty in Tuesday’s win, Josh Smith, making his first start since Dec. 16, turned in his best performance in a Flames jersey with a season-high 23 points along with nine rebounds. Smith was 7-of-9 from the field, 2-of-2 from three-point territory and 7-of-8 from the foul line. Brett Decker Jr. added 17 points, and Zander Carter notched career highs in points (10) and rebounds (6).

The Flames average 78.1 points per game while Nevada averages 76.3.

The Flames average 10,6 3-pointers per game while the Wolf Pack averages 6.6

Liberty University is a private, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, founded in 1971.

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