Reply #4: They didn't even know to look - he wasn't reported missing

[petronius]

There would also need to be service in the area. I gather that a lot of people head off into the woods with phones as safety devices, forgetting that coverage isn't universal. I did it to myself the other day, in a trivial way, driving up a pretty major highway intending to use the phone to set up a meeting, only to realize that my recollection of cell service in the area was quite erroneous...