A California Air National Guard helicopter is pictured above Pauley
Creek while assisting Search and Rescue personnel with the process of
recovering a mountain biking accident victim.

Late in the afternoon on Saturday, Sept. 3, the Sierra County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) received a report of an overdue mountain biker. The reporting party said her husband, Scott Fraser of the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael, had been dropped off at 11 a.m. at Packer Saddle to ride the Downieville Downhill Trail. When Fraser, 51, had not arrived in Downieville by late Saturday afternoon, his wife contacted the SCSO.

Nevada County Search and Rescue was requested to assist in the search and California Highway Patrol Helicopter H-24 was requested to search from the air.

Nevada County Search and Rescue arrived at approximately 2200 hours and initiated a full-length trail search, searching on foot from Packer Saddle to Downieville. This search was conducted throughout the night and, unfortunately, did not locate the missing party.

Early on Sunday morning, Search and Rescue members from Marin County, Placer County, Downieville, and the Tahoe National Forest, along with additional local volunteers, established a command center at the top of Packer Saddle Road at the trailhead before continuing the search.

At approximately 1450 hours, Mr. Fraser's mountain bike was located over the embankment in, according to Sheriff Fisher, "a very steep cliff area of the downhill below Butcher Ranch along Pauley Creek,” the site of previous biking accidents, including a fatal crash in 2020, Sheriff Fisher said.

The Marin and Placer counties Mountain Rescue Team's then concentrated their search efforts below the bicycle and located Mr. Fraser approximately 200 feet below the trail. With the assistance of a California Air National Guard helicopter, Mr. Fraser's remains were airlifted out of the canyon to awaiting deputies at Packer Saddle – and taken to the Placer County Morgue for an autopsy.

“The cause of death was due to injuries from a severe fall,” said Sheriff Fisher. “There’s no evidence of this being anything but a tragic accident.”

The Sierra County Sheriff's Office offers our sincere condolences to the Fraser family and friends during this challenging time.

Sheriff Fisher lauded the efforts of all who assisted. “At 4 o’clock in the morning on a busy weekend at the end of summer, 30 people selflessly got in their cars and drove up here from the Bay Area to spend an entire day out in the hot sun searching for Mr. Fraser.”

From a SCSO press release, with additional reporting by Stephen Kulieke.