Missing Firefighter’s Body Has Been Found Near Sespe River

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has now found the body of the missing Arcadia firefighter, Mike Herdman near the Sespe River.

Herdman, 36, was last seen on Friday, June 13, running into the Sespe wilderness north of Fillmore after his dog, Duke, took off from their campsite.

An intensive search effort spanned over a week. Searchers looked for Herdman by ground, horseback, and helicopter. They even used drones and search dogs. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department says in total almost 400 people volunteered more than 5,200 hours searching for Herdman.

The rugged terrain didn’t make searching for Herdman easy. Five volunteers were injured searching for Herdman.

“One was a rattlesnake bite. We had two cases of leg injuries that were not life-threatening, potential broken bones and then we had two that suffered heat exhaustion,” said Aguilar.

The volunteer bit by a rattlesnake is a assistant fire chief from Fillmore. The veteran search and rescue volunteer is receiving dozens of doses of antivenin vials. Seven days after he was bit he was still in the Intensive Care Unit at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks. Wednesday night he was listed in stable condition.