Here's the bottom line- a friend of mine, along with two other people, was killed in a helicopter crash on a SAR search in Hawaii looking for a guy whose buddy abandoned him and walked out on his own. The missing hiker was never found either. This was on a popular trail on Oahu, so I have no sympathy for anyone who takes the position you do.
People who do stupid things put others at risk when someone goes looking for them. Yes, I know, it's their job, but a little common sense could have prevented this from happening.

Like I said, I have read far to many stories where one member of a party was abandoned by their friends and wound up injured or dead. People can and do disappear even in well-traveled areas. It happens all the time. Your assumption that people don't get lost in well-traveled areas simply isn't true.

A few years ago, a kid disappeared from a popular car camping campground near LA. They never did find him. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but I stick by my premise-it is irresponsible to leave your friends or kids behind if they are incapable of being on their own. The corollary is that they could spend far too much time and energy looking for you, assuming you are lost.