Mute Teen Lost In LA Woods Found After Raising Alert By Clinking Rocks

A mute teenager who got lost in dense woods in Los Angeles was located after he raised an alert by clicking two rocks.

The 16-year-old boy went on a hike at the Crescenta Valley Park in Glendale, just south of Angeles National Forest with his mother and sister on April 3, when he wandered into the woods and lost his track, according to a Facebook post from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The teen's mother alerted cops while also mentioning that he was developmentally disabled. She told them that the boy has an "affection for rocks."

After several hours into the joint search efforts by the Glendale and Burbank police, the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team, and Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, an officer heard what sounded like rocks clinking together. He remembered that the teen had an interest in rocks. The deputy directed a Burbank police helicopter to look into the deep canyon from where the sound was coming.

Finally, the sound led the team to the teen's location "in the brush 400’ over the side of the fire road," deputies wrote in the post. Considering the sensitivity of the situation, the team built a rapport with the teenager to gain his trust and he was boosted to safety from the spot. "Once at the top, he was treated by paramedics and released to his family," the Facebook post said.

"Our team member went down the mountainside and made contact with the missing person. Recognizing the sensitivity of the situation, he worked to build a rapport with the teenager. After gaining the trust of the missing person, he led him up the mountain to safety. Once at the top, he was treated by paramedics and released to his family," the post added.

During a press conference, Montrose Search and Rescue member Steve Goldsworthy said they located the teen "sitting under an oak tree," NBC News reported.

"Our Department was thrilled this incident had a happy ending," LASD said in the Facebook post.