Silver Lake Man Missing in Angeles National Forest

3:30 p.m. Monday: Bea DeRusha of Silver Lake has confirmed that it is her husband Dick who is missing in the Angeles National Forest and that it was his car found near Switzer Falls picnic area.

She told a family friend that DeRusha has a heart condition and took only enough food with him to last for his hike, which she described as "a bit experimental." 

DeRusha's son Joseph attended John Marshall High School and was the one who originally reported him missing.

On his Facebook page DeRusha describes himself as "retired shop teacher, niteclub manager, printer and photographer."

He is also known locally as an activist and adventurer who owned and sailed his own boat.

According to his Facebook page, he was born on January 27, 1936, which would make him 76.

Noon Monday: Montrose, Altadena and Sierra Madre search and rescue teams are looking for a 70-year-old Los Angeles man whose son reported him missing at 8:10 a.m. Monday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials.

Richard ‘Dick’ Derusha left his Oldsmobile minivan parked in a handicapped space at the Switzer Falls picnic area in Angeles National Forest over the weekend, Sheriff’s Detective Frank Diana of the Crescenta Valley Station told Patch.

His son describes him as avid hiker and his vehicle has hiking poles and a hat left inside, Diana said. 

Derusha was expected to return back to Switzer Falls on Sunday or Saturday, following his camping trip to the Little Bear and Big Bear Canyon areas, Diana said.

Several Montrose Search and Rescue Team members were climbing north toward Little Bear and Big Bear canyons while several others were climbing south into the Switzer Falls hiking area, Diana said. Sheriff’s Air 5 followed the creek, searching both north and south of the Switzer Falls area to see if Derusha was in the area. 

By 11:15 a.m. Monday the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team had also arrived at the Switzer Falls hiking area to search the area and see if Derusha had strayed off the path.  

8:45 a.m. Monday: 

Montrose Search and Rescue is heading up to Bear Canyon, near Switzer Falls in Angeles National Forest, to find a 70-year-old man who was supposed to return to Bear Canyon on Saturday or Sunday, Sheriff's Reserve Chief Mike Leum told Patch. 

His condition is unknown at the time, sheriff's volunteers are still developing information about what happened, Leum said. The call for search and rescue came in about 7:25 a.m. Monday. 

The victim's name is not immediately available. 

Check back with Patch for more updates.