Marine from Camp Pendleton and vehicle missing after ski trip; search underway
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Matthew Kraft, a Marine lieutenant, has been reported missing this month, as a search continued Friday. (Inyo County Sheriff's Office)
Authorities' search continued Friday for a Marine based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., who was reported missing from a skiing trip earlier this week.
First Lt. Matthew Kraft, with the 1st Marine Division, went on a backcountry trip on the Sierra High Route, but was not seen after his scheduled return date, the Inyo County Sheriff's Office said in a missing-person release. Local law enforcement reported him missing, the officials said.
Kraft's itinerary began out of the Kearsarge Pass trailhead on Feb. 23 and was scheduled to end March 4 or 5 near Bridgeport, Calif., the release said. Bridgeport is site of the Marines' mountain warfare training center, according to Military.com.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AIR FORCE OFFICER, MISSING FOR 35 YEARS, FOUND IN CALIFORNIA
The Mono County Sheriff's Office then began a search on March 4. The search expanded March 5 and is now a joint operation with the Inyo County Sheriff's Office, along with a number of other officials and agencies.
Authorities are also searching for the Marine's rental vehicle, a gray, two-door, 2016 Jeep Wrangler, which was assumed to be located at his trip's start point in the vicinity of Independence, according to the release.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A joint search and rescue effort is underway, and we are looking to you for information," 1st Marine Division officials said in a statement obtained by Miltary.com. "If you have any information on the whereabouts of 1st Lt. Matthew Kraft or his rental vehicle ... please call."
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Kraft is a rifle platoon commander who was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, the military outlet reported, citing previous releases from officials.