Father, daughter found safe after chilly night in desert

Kenneth Julian White, 45, and his 15-year-old daughter, Katrina, were cold but otherwise uninjured when rescuers found them in the desert west of Gerlach on Monday.

The family lives in Fallon and had traveled to Reno to spend the holiday with relatives.

Authorities said White and his daughter went deer hunting early Sunday and were reported missing that night when they failed to show up for a family gathering.

The two became stranded when their 1991 Dodge four-wheel drive broke through a thin crust of ice and sank 12 inches in mud.

Search and rescues teams combed the area for about 12 hours before the pilot of a search plane spotted the two around 10 a.m. Monday.

"They were cold but other than that they did pretty well," said Washoe County Sheriff's Sgt. Todd Vinger, the county's search and rescue coordinator.

"They were well prepared and had all of the proper clothing to make it through the night."

The Whites were reunited with their family later Christmas Day.

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