Drones find stranded Craig hiker on Sunnahae Mountain before midnight

A 23-year-old hiker was found safe and uninjured on Sunnahae Mountain near Craig late Thursday after drone-assisted search teams located him before midnight.

Sean Joseph began his solo climb in the afternoon and sent a final text to family saying he was heading back down with a low phone battery. When he did not return home, his family called Craig Police Department. Troopers deployed a FLIR thermal drone and hiked up the mountain alongside ground teams.

The Klawock Search and Rescue team, a nonprofit volunteer organization serving the Prince of Wales Island area, located Joseph using their own drone. All search personnel were accounted for.

The rescue reflects how remote Alaska communities depend on volunteer search and rescue groups working alongside state agencies.