Twain Harte men arrested in the death of older, ill woman they took camping and left alone
Two Twain Harte men have been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and elder abuse causing death after they left an ill senior citizen on her own at a campsite about a mile above PInecrest Lake, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The woman was in her late 60s and had several ailments “that resulted in her having difficulty in caring for herself,” said Deputy Niccoli Sandelin, a department spokesman, on Wednesday. He said the woman was a Tuolumne County resident but declined to provide her hometown or name until her family has been notified.
Sandelin said the two suspects are in the Tuolumne County Jail.
A department Facebook post identified them as Russel Lee Hedge, 60, and Timothy Scott Hoblitt, 51. Sandelin said the woman and Hedge knew each other, but he did not know whether she knew Hoblitt.
The two men took the woman camping in an area called Fiddlers Green near Herring Creek on Friday, according to Sandelin. They left her Saturday — driving off in the only vehicle the three had — and returned Sunday to look for her.
“Due to knowing about the freezing overnight temperatures, Hedge and Hoblitt returned to the campsite on December 5 to retrieve the victim, but did not locate her,” according to the Facebook post. “Instead of calling law enforcement for assistance, the two gathered the victim’s belongings and left the area.”
Hedge reported the woman missing Monday afternoon.
The Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team looked for several hours Monday. The team resumed its search Tuesday morning and found the woman’s body. Her cause of death is pending an autopsy.
Detectives took over the case because of its suspicious nature, according to the post, and obtained a search warrant for Hedge’s home. They found the woman’s purse and cell phone. Detectives arrested the two men.
The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone who was in the Herring Creek area Friday through Monday to contact Detective Donaldson at 209-694-2910.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 11:52 AM.
