LOS BANOS — A 21‑year‑old man who went missing overnight in the Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area was found safe Sunday after a large multi‑agency search, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded at 2:04 a.m. March 15 to the area near the San Luis Reservoir for a report of a missing hiker. Hector Faburrieta Ramirez had last been seen around 6 p.m. March 14 after becoming separated from the group he had been hiking and hunting with, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies began searching immediately with help from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. Additional support came from the Merced County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team and the sheriff’s Sable 6 helicopter.

Search crews located Ramirez around noon Sunday. He was slightly dehydrated but otherwise unharmed and received medical care at the scene, officials said.

The sheriff’s office thanked the assisting agencies for their role in locating Ramirez safely.