Richard Harvell, 67, of Boron, California, was last seen October 15, 2015, in Kern County after a severe thunderstorm produced a flash flood at the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains. Camping with a friend near 150th Street and Highgate Avenue, Harvell went out into knee-deep, fast-moving water to move his truck and was struck by a boulder, knocked off his feet, and swept away by mud and water while his companion could not reach him.

Searches by the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, family and friends included cadaver dogs but were hampered by extreme weather and reports that up to six feet of muck inundated the area. Another person who died in the same flood was recovered; Harvell’s body has never been found. He was a Vietnam War veteran, a construction worker who built fences, the youngest of fifteen siblings and a father of six who spent much time in wilderness areas.

If anyone was in the Tehachapi area that night or has information about Harvell’s disappearance, please share what you know.