Rescuers Search For Lost Family In California Wilderness

December 19, 2007 6:14 a.m. EST

Paradise, CA (AHN) - A father and his three children who were looking for a Christmas tree in the Upper Ridge wilderness on Sunday are now being searched by a rescue team of Butte County, California because they went missing.

The ongoing search and rescue was launched on Monday night after Lisa Sams reported to the Paradise town police that her former husband, Frederick Dominguez, 38, and children Christopher, 18, a 14-year-old and a 12-year old failed to return home on Sunday. The four went to the Philbrook area to look for a Christmas tree.

The search and rescue team found Dominguez's empty vehicle at 9:50 p.m. on Monday on Skyway Avenue, about 2.5 miles north of Inskip. There were no signs the four returned to the vehicle.