Search under way for missing father, son in Nevada desert

Sunday, Oct. 25, 1998 | 9:27 a.m.

Ken Bradley, 33, and his 9-year-old son, Brian, abandoned their four-wheel-drive vehicle after it became stuck in mud Friday evening near the Smoke Creek Desert, about 100 miles north of Reno.

Washoe County sheriff's Sgt. Bob Towery said the two left Bradley's wife and two younger children behind to seek help, but haven't been seen since.

The other three family members were rescued Saturday morning after spending the night in the vehicle in the Buffalo Flats area, 25 miles west of Gerlach.

Towery said a large-scale ground search was launched Saturday after rainy, windy weather hit the Gerlach area. Authorities were concerned because the two were not properly dressed for the outdoors, he said.

The missing father and son sought to reach a hunters' camp they had passed before the vehicle became stuck, he said.

"This is a classic example of why you should stay with your vehicle if it ever gets stuck," Towery said.

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