A 21-year-old man named Lesner Noe Velasquez Cardenas is missing after getting dropped off at the popular trailhead, Avalanche Gulch, on Mount Shasta in California.
He took a taxi to the mountain trailhead after being involved in a car collision. He reported the crash but left before officers arrived. He was reported missing on May 31, 2025.
Lesner was originally from Honduras, but he grew up in Lake Elsinore. He went to Mount Shasta College and wanted to become a first responder. He was described as an innocent and naive person who had a lot to look forward to in life.
On May 29, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., Lesner flipped his car, trying to dodge a deer, on a rural road located about one hour south of Redding, California.
He got a ride home from a woman he knew. She stated that Lesner didn’t seem to have any injuries. He made it home and then left at some point with his hiking gear.
Officers visited Lesner’s home after the accident was reported, but he wasn’t there. Lesner was picked up by a cab near a Wells Fargo Bank in Redding at 2:22 p.m.
He told the taxi driver that he was trying to beat his friend’s time to complete a hike. However, none of his friends were hikers. He was dropped off at the trailhead to Avalanche Gulch and hasn’t been seen since.
“He appeared to voluntarily go to Mount Shasta, and that’s the last place that he was seen by anybody,” said Sergeant Josiah Ferrin of the Redding Police Department.
Around 3:30 p.m., Lesner’s roommate and friend, Josefina Jiminez, went home to check on him, but he wasn’t there. His best friend, Hunter, also stopped by but didn’t see Lesner. His friends became concerned when he didn’t respond to their calls or messages.
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His phone showed that his last location was Avalanche Gulch, and no activity has been observed from it since. He also left his wallet and cash at home, so it was unclear how he paid for the cab ride. His passport was not among his belongings, indicating that he had taken it with him.
Authorities started searching for Lesner on June 6, but haven’t found any signs of him. His loved ones believe that Lesner may have fled the scene of the car crash and gone into hiding out of fear of consequences, especially since he had recently gotten his driver’s license.
Lesner’s family wasn’t able to join in the search effort because Lesner’s mother was battling stage four cancer. His best friend, Hunter, discovered something strange when he logged into his laptop to check the FindMyiPhone app.
It showed that Lesner’s phone pinged at the base of Mount Shasta at 2:06 p.m., which was 16 minutes before he even got in the cab.
The circumstances of the case are extremely odd, even to experienced law enforcement officials. Weather conditions on the mountain were also favorable at the time of his disappearance.
Lesner Noe Velazquez Cardenas is 5’4″, weighs 145 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. There is a tattoo of an “anime image” on his back.
Anyone who may have information about Lesner’s whereabouts is urged to call the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
