A Santa Clarita man who suffers from a disability has been found, nearly 24 hours after he went missing.

65 year-old Humberto Lara was last seen at around midnight Thursday morning when he took his German shepherd for a walk near Jakes Way and Sandy Drive in Canyon Country. He suffers from Alzheimer’s, and his disappearance was considered critical.

Lara was finally located at 1:30 Friday morning in a ravine near Sierra Highway and Highway 14. He was found alive, although in need of medical attention.

The search had originally ended 12 hours earlier, after Sheriff’s deputies had exhausted all leads. Upon hearing that Lara’s dog returned home alone, however, the search was kicked back into gear.

Around 11:00 p.m., a deputy was distributing the missing person bulletin at the Chevron gas station on Via Princessa, when a tow truck driver for L&M Towing named Durran Heaney saw the bulletin. Heaney told the deputy that he worked the night shift, and requested a copy of the bulletin so he could keep an eye out.

Heaney sent a text message to his partner, Larry Mason, just after midnight asking him to be mindful of the missing person. Mason sent a message back that he had seen someone matching the description walking two dogs around 5:00 a.m. the previous morning on the northbound Sierra Highway off ramp of the 14 freeway.

Upon contacting SCV deputies, Mason led them to where he had last seen Lara. After a quick search, Deputy Robert Tunnell found Lara down a slope under a large bush. Lara had been unable to get out of the ravine, but Deputy Tunnell was able to pull him to safety.

With temperatures in the 30’s overnight, emergency responders report that Lara probobly would not have survived until morning.

Joining the overall search effort were Sheriff’s deputies from Lancaster, Palmdale, Aero Bureau, Search and Rescue teams from Santa Clarita and Crencenta Valley, and a scent dog.