A Buddhist monk was rescued on Sunday after taking a long walk to “clear his head.”
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday evening, the monk from Tibet walked away from the Buddhist Temple on Perkinsville Road in Chino Valley at 6:00 p.m., but had not returned by Sunday morning. He lives at the temple with his family and had left behind his cell phone and all other possessions except the clothes he was wearing. The monk’s wife called in an overdue person’s report Sunday morning.
Deputies were told that the monk was familiar with the vicinity around the temple and that he often hikes in the area. YCSO Forest Patrol and Deputies began searching the area on foot after the report was made, and a drone operator was called to do an arial search.
At 3:15 p.m. YCSO received a call from a woman who said she found an Asian man in the desert near Perkinsville. He was located near the Drake turn off, about 20-25 miles from the Buddhist Temple. The monk doesn’t speak any English, so the woman was unable to speak with him.
YCSO drove to the area and confirmed it was the overdue monk and transported him to Chino Valley Police Department where he was checked out by medical professionals. Though his vitals were ok, he was severely dehydrated. The monk’s wife arrived to translate, with the monk saying he just needed to take a very long walk to clear his head.