OR OR - Samuel Boehlke-Becker, 8, Crater Lake National Park, 14 Oct 2006

[fundiva]

Thanks, Deb. That provides a little more hope knowing he was dressed for the cold. But four days, reallly, that's just too much without food and proper shelter from the elements, IMO. Even for a child with camping experience. He must be frightened. Anything on his mom, yet? I don't recall seeing anything mentioned, I probably missed it.

Thanks,
barry

I live in Medford, about 70 miles away and much lower elevation. It was 37 degrees this morning at 9:00. Last week it was sunshine and summery weather; this weekend fall came with a vengence. I hope and pray that they find this little boy soon, but the weather doesn't seem to be cooperating.

 

[scandi]

Hi Fundiva, Glad to see you're from Oregon. You live with extreme hot and cold weather there. Brrrrrrrrr, I don't know how you do it.

Sammy does not have on a hat or gloves, so he is really not at all dressed for winter. No hat is a bad one, as his body heat will escape sooner.

They say he loves to hide while playing. Could he have found a hiding place where infared cameras would not be able to spot him? They did fly with infared in searching for him and saw nothing. That can usually even pick up heat from a dead or decaying body.

I'd love to know what LE is thinking at this point. Early this morning they said they have not given up hope he is still alive. I'm praying Sammy is still alive.


Scandi

 

[HollywoodBound]

Does anyone know if there were any other people in the parking lot/pull out that could confirm the boy ran into the woods? Or confirm that the boy was with the father when the car pulled into the parking lot?

 

[scandi]

That's what I was thinking Holywood. If his body didn't show up on infared, it well could be he is not there and was wisked away by someone parked up there that saw him run off.

Is the father being looked at as a suspect? I agree his story was odd, unless autistic children would be inclined to run into woods. I don't think he'd get too far into the woods as it can get thick real soon off the road.


Scandi

ETA: This is the forrest at Crater Lake National Park

 

[HollywoodBound]

That's what I was thinking Holywood. If his body didn't show up on infared, it well could be he is not there and was wisked away by someone parked up there that saw him run off.

Is the father being looked at as a suspect? I agree his story was odd, unless autistic children would be inclined to run into woods. I don't think he'd get too far into the woods as it can get thick real soon off the road.


Scandi

Now that you mention it I wonder if the area is really thick in which case the boy would make a track or trail as he's stepping on vegetation and breaking limbs. I think this could happen even if the area is some what thick with vegetation. I read the 2 links in this thread but didn't read they brought dogs in. Seems like this is a situation where they would.

 

[scandi]

I added that photo Hollywood, so you can see how thick that forrest is. They said this morning it has snowed something like 8 - 12" there since he went missing, and that would cover any tracks. I don't think we can rule out the dogs having been used or not, as it has been a full scale major search with searchers coming from even other states to help.


Scandi

 

[fundiva]

They have had dogs out searching as well. The visitor center officially shuts down at the end of September, I believe, so there are not as many visitors driving around the lake because of the oncoming bad weather and snow. I haven't heard whether there were any other people at the pullout, but I doubt it. If this would have happened three weeks ago, there is constant traffic to the visitor center. I was just up there in July myself. The father hailed down another car when he couldn't find him, but that was 2 hours after he went missing, so I don't know if that was the first one to come along or he just decided he needed help. Prior to the snow, the area would have been very dry and everything on the ground would have been brittle, so maybe some sort of trail could have been left.

 

[fundiva]

Hi Fundiva, Glad to see you're from Oregon. You live with extreme hot and cold weather there. Brrrrrrrrr, I don't know how you do it.

Sammy does not have on a hat or gloves, so he is really not at all dressed for winter. No hat is a bad one, as his body heat will escape sooner.

They say he loves to hide while playing. Could he have found a hiding place where infared cameras would not be able to spot him? They did fly with infared in searching for him and saw nothing. That can usually even pick up heat from a dead or decaying body.

I'd love to know what LE is thinking at this point. Early this morning they said they have not given up hope he is still alive. I'm praying Sammy is still alive.


Scandi

Actually the weather in Medford is pretty good year round. In the summer we have hot weather (100+) for about 2 months. In the winter, we get some rain and colder weather (30-40 degrees) for a few weeks. One Thanksgiving we were wearing short sleeves and no coats; same for the following Valentine's Day. We have only gotten a trace of snow 3 times in 3 1/2 years (since I have been here). However, once you start up into the mountains to the north and south, it gets colder and worse weather fast.

 

[scandi]

I, personally, am suspicious of the fathers story - but that comes from hanging around here too much.

LOL Isn't that the truth? We get looking at things more carefully than the average Joe or Jill.

I've been thinking though about this. The father said he looked for a couple of hours for the boy before contacting the police. That is a long time - suspicious in itself I would say. 20 min out there looking under and inbetween fir boughs, and I'd have called right away!

If the father is guilty, unless he buried him which would be hard to do in frozen ground, the only other way would be to throw Sammy over the edge of the rim into the lake. The lake is bottomless. They have tried to find the bottom and never have been successful, probably because it is the crater of a volcano. If he landed in the water, he could easily have gotten snagged by old trees fallen in the water, and not rise to the surface as usual. Plus you have very cold water which means it would take longer for gases to form to rise him up to the top. I'm thinking that in this cold water, he could be mumified and have little or no decomposition. I don't know.

I certainly hope this isn't the case.


Scandi

 

[HollywoodBound]

Thanks for posting the pic Scandi. In my mind I had the forest filled with a lot of knee high plant vegetation and trees. Looks like he could walk through that without making a path. I think they need to confirm that the boy was even in this area that day. And I wonder if the tracking dogs were called in that day before the snowfall.

 

[californiacarrie]

Autistic children run off all the time with no inclination of present dangers. My son does it frequently - sometimes naked. I can understand how this could have happened if indeed the child had autistic qualities.

 

[SewingDeb]

Thanks, Deb. That provides a little more hope knowing he was dressed for the cold. But four days, reallly, that's just too much without food and proper shelter from the elements, IMO. Even for a child with camping experience. He must be frightened. Anything on his mom, yet? I don't recall seeing anything mentioned, I probably missed it.

Thanks,
barry

You're welcome Barry. I haven't seen any more yet.

 

[LinasK]

Autistic children run off all the time with no inclination of present dangers. My son does it frequently - sometimes naked. I can understand how this could have happened if indeed the child had autistic qualities.

And they won't always respond when called. My best friend's daughter is borderline autistic, also loves nature. Loves to wander off by herself and take hikes...

 

[barry9120]

And they won't always respond when called. My best friend's daughter is borderline autistic, also loves nature. Loves to wander off by herself and take hikes...

IMO, another very disturbing aspect of autism is the ability to just sit and focus within and not even realize what is going on around you. So many autistic children can sit a rock for hours without letting anything of the outside world get in. If he became frightened, he may very well have done just that. God bless and be with that child.

 

[Sniffy38]

This is a good article I just found from my hometown newspaper about this story. It answered some questions I had, i.e. about the family and how the father and son happened to be at Crater Lake. I was also surprised by the sheer number of searchers - ground, horseback and helicopter. I hope so much that they will be able to find this little lost boy.

http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2006/10/19/ap-state-or/d8krqq0g3.txt

 

[barry9120]

This is a good article I just found from my hometown newspaper about this story. It answered some questions I had, i.e. about the family and how the father and son happened to be at Crater Lake. I was also surprised by the sheer number of searchers - ground, horseback and helicopter. I hope so much that they will be able to find this little lost boy.

http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2006/10/19/ap-state-or/d8krqq0g3.txt

I'm really impressed by the professional SAR efforts. Wow! It'll be a week soon that Samuel's been missing. This is really not looking good at all I pray they find him alive.

 

[mattsmom]

Originally Posted by Sniffy38
This is a good article I just found from my hometown newspaper...

I couldn't get Sniffy's link to work but I found this one and think it's the same article.

http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2006/10/20/news/news06101906.txt

 

[Hinebaughs]

**snip**
Officials have expressed frustration over the fruitless search, and say Sammy's fear of loud noises made the search more difficult. The boy has a high-functioning form of autism spectrum disorder, which causes him to have extreme reactions to loud noises.

Searchers were unable to use sirens or whistles to find Sammy, and say the disorder also causes him to hide, creating a roadblock they wouldn't experience with another lost person, Evenson said.

http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2006/10/21/news/local_news/local2.txt


I just can't imagine the pain Sammy's parents are feeling. Having to go home now without their son and having to live everyday with the thought of his little body alone and in the woods. I hope at some time he will be found so his family can have a sense of closure. Samuel is safe and warm with the Lord and my deepest prayers are with his family.

 

[cynpat2000]

October 18, 2006

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CRATER LAKE, Ore. (AP) — A break in the weather gave two helicopters a chance to join the search Tuesday for an 8-year-old Portland boy missing in the snow of Crater Lake National Park, but no clues to his disappearance were found, a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the missing boy’s mother was to arrive at the park where Sammie Boehlke disappeared Saturday while hiking with his father, said search spokesman Rudy Evenson.

An Oregon Air National Guard helicopter equipped with an infrared sensor took part in the search, as did an observation helicopter that concentrated on the steep slope leading down to the volcanic lake at the crest of the Cascade Range, Evenson said. Neither found anything, and the infrared helicopter had to leave for another assignment.

Searchers still believe the boy could be alive within the search area, despite three nights in subfreezing temperatures at more than 7,000 feet elevation with six to eight inches of wet snow on the ground, Evenson said.

“Right now we are focusing all our efforts on finding a missing 8-year-old in the identified search area,” Evenson said. “It is unusual in this park (for a search to go on so long). Typically search and rescues at Crater Lake National Park end in less time than this.”

The boy and his father, Kenneth Boehlke, had been staying at Diamond Lake and went to Crater Lake for a hike, authorities said. On Saturday afternoon, they parked along Rim Drive near the Cleetwood Cove trailhead and the boy ran uphill into the woods, away from the lake. His father could not find him, and flagged down a passing car. Park staff mounted a search that evening.

The father’s family, the Boehlkes, and the mother’s family, the Beckers, issued a statement: “We know that some of the best search and rescue people in the Northwest and beyond are here around the clock. Those searching, both volunteers and professionals, are enduring rough conditions in the cold and wet snow. We are so thankful for their perseverance and expertise. We continue to hope for a good outcome, and we keep the faith that Sammie will be found.”

The boy was dressed in cargo pants, a blue winter jacket, a long-sleeve green and black striped T-shirt, and red shoes.

http://www.newsreview.info/article/20061018/NEWS/61018002

 

[cynpat2000]

They are scaling back the search. they feel he could not survive being out in the elements.


http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2006/1020/local/stories/boy2.htm



This is so sad.