Sutter Lakeside Hospital ER nurse Danielle Arriaza with Julie, the missing Kelseyville woman she helped rescue during the summer of 2024.
By Cat Valles, Vitals contributor
Lake County, located about three hours north of San Francisco, is a tight-knit community where friends are neighbors and neighbors are friends – and Sutter Lakeside Hospital is no exception.
So when ER Nurse Danielle Arriaza came across a Facebook post last summer about a missing woman from Kelseyville, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to help. The post lingered in her thoughts throughout the day as she repeatedly checked for updates.
“The post said she had called her husband, saying she wasn’t feeling well and was heading over the mountain,” Arriaza recalled. “When I read that her phone pinged halfway over, it got me thinking. I’ve always been interested in real-life mysteries and have an inquisitive mind, but this felt different. The nurse in me couldn’t ignore the possibility that she had lost consciousness, especially since she had mentioned not feeling well. I kept hoping they would find her.”
That afternoon, Arriaza brought her daughter to soccer practice, then drove around town with her daughter and a friend, searching without a clear plan. After practice, she faced a choice.
“At the intersection, I was thinking, ‘Do we turn left to go home, or do we turn right to look for this woman?’ That’s when we decided to head out on the mountain.”
‘I Saw a Flashlight!’
“I told the girls, ‘We’re looking for plants, bushes or trees that are broken or out of place.’ I was driving slowly and letting every car pass,” Arriaza said. “At the last turn, I said a little prayer in my head: ‘Please open our eyes to help us find her.’ Almost immediately after, my daughter shouted, ‘Mom! I saw a flashlight!’ I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a truck, assuming she had mistaken it’s headlights. But she was persistent, and I believed her.”
After turning around a few times without success, Arriaza pulled over and left the girls safely in the car. She walked down the road alone, searching. That’s when she saw a light shining faintly and caught a glimpse of red – it was the missing woman’s car.
“I thought, ‘What on earth?’ I called her name, but my heart sank when there was no response. I called again – and then I heard a muffled response from her car. She was trapped! I couldn’t believe we actually found her. Earlier, I had told the girls we should do this even if there was just a 1% chance of finding her, it would be worth it.”
View of Clear Lake from Mount Konocti in Lake County, Calif.
‘I Don’t Know If She Would Have Survived …’
Arriaza ran back to the car to tell the girls the good news. Without cell service, they flagged down a passing driver. Together, they worked to free the woman.
“It had been 28 hours,” Arriaza said. “I don’t know how much longer she would have survived. She had an apple juice container with water for her dogs and was rationing it. Her car was completely upside down, with the undercarriage hidden in tree branches. It wasn’t visible from the air.”
Arriaza used a window breaker she had kept in her car for years to free the woman just before sunset.
A Happy Ending
After recovering, the woman, Julie, expressed gratitude on Facebook. She revealed that her accident was caused by a medical condition that has since been treated.
“She had wonderful things to say about the care she received at our hospital,” Arriaza said. She added, “This experience is a reminder to trust your instincts, never give up too soon and always look out for one another.”
“One of Sutter Health’s values is curiosity, and Danielle’s actions are a powerful example of how our team embodies this both on the job and in our communities,” said Sutter Lakeside Hospital Chief Nurse Executive Lora Horn, RN. “We’re incredibly grateful that Danielle’s curiosity led to the safe return of one of our community members.”
Arriaza reflected on the experience as a blessing.
“How did everything align for Julie to put her light in the window when she did? She’s doing well – we got together over the holidays and talked about all the divine ‘coincidences’ that had to happen for this to work out. It’s a special friendship that feels more like family.”
