UPDATE, 11/3/24 – Manuel Alvarado has been missing for over three months. His mother and family are devastated and looking for any answers on his possible whereabouts.
MENDOCINO CO., 8/1/24 – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is seeking the public’s help in finding a missing man from Covelo.
The man, 44-year-old Manuel Alvarado, has been missing since July 22. He is described as a Hispanic male, 5’8”-5’10” tall, weighing approximately 210 pounds, with black hair and a muscular build. He has tattoos on both arms.
According to MCSO, Alvarado was reported missing from Covelo by his family on July 22. In a series of text messages with his mother, Alvarado shared that he loved her, he was going to die, and to send help.
MCSO and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) tried to locate Alvarado using his GPS coordinates from the cell phone. It reported him 19 miles east of Covelo, south of Mendocino Pass Road at Jumpoff Creek. Officers worked in the dark to locate Alvarado, including pinging his cell phone, which did not respond due to having a drained battery, being turned off or out of its service area.
On July 23, CHP flew a helicopter over the area but were unable to locate Alvarado. The next day, MCSO’s Search and Rescue Team and CHP continued the search, which led them to a cannabis grow. Individuals there reported that they too had tried to find Alvarado to no avail. He was last seen using methamphetamine and acting paranoid. They said he took a walk and never returned.
Deputies searched the property, with permission, and there were no signs of foul play. The search from ground and air continued with no luck.
According to MCSO, “Further search and rescue efforts will continue, and we are currently establishing search plans for these efforts.”
Anyone with information regarding Alvarado’s whereabouts is requested to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 707-463-4086.