Bloody Basin, AZ — It started as a solo getaway into the rugged beauty of Yavapai County, but it nearly ended in tragedy. After three grueling days lost in the wilderness, Mark Eric Young is safe, thanks to an exhaustive search effort by dozens of volunteers and a miracle discovery by his own son.
On Thursday, April 16, 2026, Mark Young headed out toward Bloody Basin Road. Driving a rental vehicle deep into the backcountry via FR 269 and FR 16A, for a quiet solo trip to hike and camp.
When Mark failed to show up for a dinner in the Verde Valley the following day, his family knew something was wrong. By 9:00 PM that night, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Forest Patrol had officially launched a search and rescue mission.
By Saturday morning, the first break in the case appeared when searchers located Mark’s rental vehicle on the very remote FR 16. A massive, 24/7 mobilization of resources followed. The Yavapai County Search and Rescue (YCSR) teams – including the Jeep Posse, Back Country Unit, 4×4 Unit, and Verde SAR – were joined by partner agencies from Coconino and Maricopa Counties. A rancher nearby even came with his horse and search dogs.
For three days and nights, teams of volunteers combed through dozens of miles of punishing terrain. The searchers were fighting time and navigating a landscape in which they saw a mountain lion with a cub, a black bear, at least one rattlesnake, and difficult terrain. Using tracking data to narrow the search, teams focused on a steep, tough canyon that searchers thought might have trapped the missing hiker.
On Monday morning, hope flickered when searchers reported hearing distant, faint yells for help. However, the winds and jagged canyon terrain made it impossible to pinpoint the exact location of the yell.
Then, just after 1:00 PM, an incredible text message came through on a cell phone via satellite. Mark’s son had found him approximately a 6-mile hike away from the car. Mark’s own family had been part of the push to find him. The Maricopa County FOX 1 helicopter, already circling the area, moved in immediately. Mark was found alert and in surprisingly good spirits, even carrying jokes, as he was hoisted from the canyon floor and airlifted to a Phoenix-area hospital.
“My dad’s life was worth saving, and your teams showed that,” said one of Mark Young’s seven children, who helped in the search.
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