Australia Australia - Prabhdeep Srawn, 25, Canadian, Snowy Mtns, NSW, 13 May 2013

[FigTree]

"The final search team finished its work on Dec. 17"

It's summer in Australia. Why is this the final search team?

I'm not sure if that's the way the media has explained things, or if it is the final official search team for the moment.
I understand that funds are being raised to help with the costs of the searches, and I would say that possibly more searching can be done when the money is raised to continue - but up till now I would imagine the costs incurred since May when Prabhdeep went missing, must have been huge.
You can see the current amount raised here to help with search costs:
Prabh Srawn WordPress Page

I dont know what the plan is from here on for the Search For Prabh - msm has not reported anything and there is nothing on the Facebook Page as yet - maybe if Mandeep pops into the thread here again, she may be able to lets us know.

I am praying that people don't give up looking - ordinary people out hiking during this fine weather time in the National Park.
He has to be out there somewhere.
Even if its out of area - to keep eyes open and for anything - in caves, around fallen trees, abandoned cars in the scrub, water ways, drains and dams, wombat burrows (carefully though), makeshift shelters - just have a look - look for shoe tracks, clothing, paper, plastic...

Sending more prayers...

.

 

[Marg from Oz]

I think his family was very hopeful that something would be found, but alas it was not to be.
I hope hikers are made aware of the fact to be on the look out for anything that may indicate he had been there. I can understand that the cost would be prohibitive to continue indefinitely . Plus there is no urgency as it would be a recovery of a deceased person. I don't think anyone believes that he would still be alive now. It is not as if they could categorically state that he is not there as the area and terrain are so formidable that to say it had all been searched would be impossible .

 

[FigTree]

I think his family was very hopeful that something would be found, but alas it was not to be.
I hope hikers are made aware of the fact to be on the look out for anything that may indicate he had been there. I can understand that the cost would be prohibitive to continue indefinitely . Plus there is no urgency as it would be a recovery of a deceased person. I don't think anyone believes that he would still be alive now. It is not as if they could categorically state that he is not there as the area and terrain are so formidable that to say it had all been searched would be impossible .

My bold...
I think this is the hardest thing to come to terms with. The search has been extensive, but there's no answers at all. Not a clue to say he was even there - so is he not found because of some other scenario? Was he on that hike?
No one saw Prabhdeep physically on the trail.
I will have to go through the timeline and check - but I think the only report of Prabhdeep was his footprints in the snow seen by a following hiker.
I wonder if it was Prabh who was walking ahead of the hiker?

I am going to go back and read through the entire thread and do a point timeline.

 

[Marg from Oz]

My bold...
I think this is the hardest thing to come to terms with. The search has been extensive, but there's no answers at all. Not a clue to say he was even there - so is he not found because of some other scenario? Was he on that hike?
No one saw Prabhdeep physically on the trail.
I will have to go through the timeline and check - but I think the only report of Prabhdeep was his footprints in the snow seen by a following hiker.
I wonder if it was Prabh who was walking ahead of the hiker?

I am going to go back and read through the entire thread and do a point timeline.

The thought had crossed my mind that he may not even be there and had disappeared on his own volition . It would not be hard to disappear here and there are large communities of Indians throughout Australia. Here in VVictoria the majority of taxi drivers are Indian born and there have been reports of using other Indians identifications So anything is possible. MOO

 

[FigTree]

The thought had crossed my mind that he may not even be there and had disappeared on his own volition . It would not be hard to disappear here and there are large communities of Indians throughout Australia. Here in VVictoria the majority of taxi drivers are Indian born and there have been reports of using other Indians identifications So anything is possible. MOO

There's a couple of reason for me to believe that he had not disappeared voluntarily - law degree, family, friends, and its just my opinion, but as we know - nothing can be ruled out if there is no trace of someone.
I also think that if Prabhs community or any other member of the public had seen and recognized someone they thought to be Prabh - there would have been at least one report - but there have been no sightings.
I just cant see a disciplined law-degree-soon-to-graduate man taking off without some clue - and letting his family do all this searching and worrying - from all accounts he loved and cherished his family and was a responsible guy.

Its not unusual for a car to be left in a carpark for a week (especially if someone is hiking) but I'm surprised the Hotel he was staying at didn't raise an alarm when he hadn't returned for a week.
I had thought maybe he did make it back to Jindabyne after the storm (where he was staying) and something happened from there? Maybe he was going to pick his car up when the weather was better? But CCTV footage would have picked him up in the hotel (I hope).

I wonder if the Police had asked people come forward if they had parked in that carpark during the time Prabs car was there - did they see anything? Did anyone see which direction Prabh walked off in.
I wish a tracker had been brought in early on the search.

Prabh where are you?

.

 

[Elainera]

There's a couple of reason for me to believe that he had not disappeared voluntarily - law degree, family, friends, and its just my opinion, but as we know - nothing can be ruled out if there is no trace of someone.
I also think that if Prabhs community or any other member of the public had seen and recognized someone they thought to be Prabh - there would have been at least one report - but there have been no sightings.
I just cant see a disciplined law-degree-soon-to-graduate man taking off without some clue - and letting his family do all this searching and worrying - from all accounts he loved and cherished his family and was a responsible guy.

Its not unusual for a car to be left in a carpark for a week (especially if someone is hiking) but I'm surprised the Hotel he was staying at didn't raise an alarm when he hadn't returned for a week.
I had thought maybe he did make it back to Jindabyne after the storm (where he was staying) and something happened from there? Maybe he was going to pick his car up when the weather was better? But CCTV footage would have picked him up in the hotel (I hope).

I wonder if the Police had asked people come forward if they had parked in that carpark during the time Prabs car was there - did they see anything? Did anyone see which direction Prabh walked off in.
I wish a tracker had been brought in early on the search.

Prabh where are you?

.

bbm - The thing is, Prabh's disappearance has from the beginning been classified by LE and family as being lost in the mountains. It is unlikely that the public will call in any potential sightings that they would have called in if the tenor had been "if you see him please call". If someone saw a person resembling Prabh they would most likely think they were mistaken and dismiss it since he is supposedly lost in the wilderness.

In regards to his relationship with his family, and that he wouldn't do that to them (simply disappear) - we don't really know what goes on in families. Families almost always say that a missing person wouldn't just run off. I'm sure that is also correct most of the time, but would I take it as absolute truth? No. Understandably, families don't want to put any family disputes or tensions on public display, especially if they are of a sensitive nature. But they might be there and they might have factored in the situation.

I wouldn't rule out voluntary disappearance at this point, not at all. OTOH, it is the less likely option, it is more likely that he got lost, and it is therefore right to focus all search efforts on the most likely scenario, rather than confuse everyone with alternate what-if's. Who knows how many would have gone out to search for him if it had been announced that he might have wanted to disappear? So I can understand that the family concentrates all their resources, effort, appeals etc on the searches in the mountains.

Are there any more searches planned?

 

[FigTree]

bbm - The thing is, Prabh's disappearance has from the beginning been classified by LE and family as being lost in the mountains. It is unlikely that the public will call in any potential sightings that they would have called in if the tenor had been "if you see him please call". If someone saw a person resembling Prabh they would most likely think they were mistaken and dismiss it since he is supposedly lost in the wilderness.

In regards to his relationship with his family, and that he wouldn't do that to them (simply disappear) - we don't really know what goes on in families. Families almost always say that a missing person wouldn't just run off. I'm sure that is also correct most of the time, but would I take it as absolute truth? No. Understandably, families don't want to put any family disputes or tensions on public display, especially if they are of a sensitive nature. But they might be there and they might have factored in the situation.

I wouldn't rule out voluntary disappearance at this point, not at all. OTOH, it is the less likely option, it is more likely that he got lost, and it is therefore right to focus all search efforts on the most likely scenario, rather than confuse everyone with alternate what-if's. Who knows how many would have gone out to search for him if it had been announced that he might have wanted to disappear? So I can understand that the family concentrates all their resources, effort, appeals etc on the searches in the mountains.

Are there any more searches planned?

You're right of course, about the voluntary disappearing of people - no-one really knows when it comes to relationships and the reasoning behind why people consciously decide to disappear - and if that be true, it would mean he was somewhere and still there would be hope of him being alive - which would be a good outcome.

As for further searches being planned, I am waiting to see something further in msm, though I don't doubt that there are searchers still out there (volunteer searchers) - just haven't read anything recently ...
Im keeping an eye out for any further news.

 

[FigTree]

Its Christmas Day in Australia and I wanted to send out my heartfelt wishes of support for this time of the year to Prabhdeep Family.
Today and everyday we are thinking of you.

.

 

[FigTree]

A very good media article with members of the search team that went to Australia from Canada to look for Prahbdeep.
The article is quite long - I have posted some of the text - but worth a read.

East Kootenay searchers Scott MacLeod, Charmaine Lingard and Tom Hopkins gather at Cranbrook’s airport after returning from a volunteer trip to Australia to search for a 25-year-old missing Ontario man. — Image Credit: Submitted

Daily Townsman - Canada. Read More...
Locals search for missing Canadian down under
After searches in Australia found no trace of Srawn, his family asked B.C. Search and Rescue members if they could participate in an independent search. Five East Kootenay Search and Rescue members put up their hands to join the team of 18 volunteers.

From Kimberley Search and Rescue, Scott MacLeod and Seb Martinez; from Fernie Search and Rescue, Bernie Palmer and Tom Hopkins; and from Sparwood Search and Rescue, Charmaine Lingard all volunteered their time to help Srawn's family find out what happened to the young man.

They based themselves at Charlotte’s Pass, in staff accommodation for a ski hill.
From there, working in teams, they put on three separate missions into the alpine. It was an eye-opening experience, said Scott MacLeod.

“There’s only one season in the mountains and it’s winter, once you get to any kind of height. What we saw was a beautiful summer day, very hot, and then that night, the system comes in, and there is a couple of inches of snow on the tent. The next day we look at it and realize the weather is deteriorating. We came out in a whiteout, navigating with a GPS,” said MacLeod.

“If Prabh was caught in the same conditions, without a compass or GPS and without the gear we had, he probably realized he was in a whole lot of trouble.”

“I don’t believe the family is going to call it quits. They might get other volunteers searchers involved, probably from Australia.”
-----

The hardest thing about the landscape in the Mountains is that it does look like a clean hiking surface - but a lot of it is scrub cover.
I think it sounds like the team did an amazing job, but I can understand how disappointed they must be with not finding anything.

An awesome effort by the Canadian Team.

.

 

[dotr]

Great photo of some very good and brave people who searched for Prabhdeeb!

 

[Marg from Oz]

Fig tree ,

Just checked out the other thread on Prahbdeep

You have done an extraordinary amount of work on there. Very informative. It gives me an even bigger understanding of how easy it could be to get lost there and never be found.

Maybe my scenario of walking away was a hope that he is alive and out in the community.
But now I don't know what to think. Especially when searchers stated they had experienced white out and had to use gps. I wonder if Prahbdeep had gps or was he unprepared for the weather to take a turn for the worst?

 

[FigTree]

Fig tree ,

Just checked out the other thread on Prahbdeep

You have done an extraordinary amount of work on there. Very informative. It gives me an even bigger understanding of how easy it could be to get lost there and never be found.

Maybe my scenario of walking away was a hope that he is alive and out in the community.
But now I don't know what to think. Especially when searchers stated they had experienced white out and had to use gps. I wonder if Prahbdeep had gps or was he unprepared for the weather to take a turn for the worst?

Hi Marg from Oz,
Its a mystery - but Prabh didn't have a GPS, though he did have a phone - whether or not the phone had a working GPS, I don't know - but he was not prepared for the storm (as in snow hiking gear) - though just my opinion (from what I have read about Prabh on msm and FB), I think he was prepared mentally and physically to survive. He had been trained to cope in this sort of situation - so finding no trace of anything is disheartening to say the least, especially after so many attempts, and the search has basically been continuous since May.

Just to add also - (23rd December 2013)
I contacted The Canberra Times to see if they were going to follow up on their (continuing) reporting of the search. The journalist who I wrote to (Tom McIlroy) thankfully, replied to my inquiry (reply quoted blow in italics):
I am told the official police search is on hold until mid-January ...
I will keep and eye out for further developments and a future story.

PS: I will send the correspondence exchange to marlywings for confirmation TOS

.

 

[FigTree]

I came across this news article today which was from back in May 2013 - very early in the search not long after Prahb had gone missing - it mentions that as well as the water bottle searchers had found (May 2013) that they also found a black shoelace. The video mentions that Prahb also had bought a pair of black shoes (sometime) before he went missing. I had heard about the water bottle - but not the shoes he bought or the shoelace - ...
There is no report about what type of shoes Prabh was wearing - so I dont know if it was the back shoes for sure...

The news video is here:
The Loop.CA
Canadian missing in Australia
The family of a missing man is appealing to the public after a water bottle and shoelace were found. Tamara Cherry has more details.


I had also wondered if the water bottle was tested for DNA to see if it did belong to Prabh? Though the water bottle is quite unusual, I dont think there would be many of them discarded and in that particular location.

 

[Elainera]

A shoelace - I can't think of an innocent scenario why he would discard or lose it. Was it a whole shoelace, or a torn one? If it was a torn shoelace he might have changed it and discarded the broken one. Still, together with the water bottle it paints a grim picture, imo. Were they found together, or far apart? (Can't watch the video right now, are there more interesting details in it?)

 

[Marg from Oz]

do we know if he had been to cairns? this was on the water bottle.

 

[FigTree]

do we know if he had been to cairns? this was on the water bottle.

I think I read somewhere he had been to Cairns (scuba diving?)- but I cant verify that until I have a look at some of the information on the msm link - Though he was attending Bond University in Queensland - so its likely he was either in Cairns or the bottle was easily bought somewhere in QLD with the name on it.

.

 

[FigTree]

A shoelace - I can't think of an innocent scenario why he would discard or lose it. Was it a whole shoelace, or a torn one? If it was a torn shoelace he might have changed it and discarded the broken one. Still, together with the water bottle it paints a grim picture, imo. Were they found together, or far apart? (Can't watch the video right now, are there more interesting details in it?)

The video didnt say if the water bottle and the shoelace were found together.
If the lacing is from Prahb's shoe, (the black ones which were mentioned he bought days just before going hiking) - the lace would be new, so I assume it wasn't frayed or broken - though I dont know - it may have been cut to use for something else.

I was thinking of reasons why would you remove a shoe lace?
Possibly if the feet were swollen and the shoe needed to be open.
You needed to use the lace as a tourniquet.
To use as a sling.
You needed to hold something together.
You needed to attach something to yourself or make a hold.
To leave as a clue.
To use as a wick.
:dunno:

 

[marlywings]

do we know if he had been to cairns? this was on the water bottle.

I think I read somewhere he had been to Cairns (scuba diving?)- but I cant verify that until I have a look at some of the information on the msm link - Though he was attending Bond University in Queensland - so its likely he was either in Cairns or the bottle was easily bought somewhere in QLD with the name on it.

.

June 01, 2013

A drink bottle from a scuba dive operator in Cairns, who Mr Srawn had dived with earlier in the year, was found near Blue Lake.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mi...being-called-off/story-fnii5s3y-1226654819368

 

[FigTree]

June 01, 2013

A drink bottle from a scuba dive operator in Cairns, who Mr Srawn had dived with earlier in the year, was found near Blue Lake.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mi...being-called-off/story-fnii5s3y-1226654819368

Good catch - Thanks marlywings - knew it was somewhere around :loveyou:

.

 

[Elainera]

The video didnt say if the water bottle and the shoelace were found together.
If the lacing is from Prahb's shoe, (the black ones which were mentioned he bought days just before going hiking) - the lace would be new, so I assume it wasn't frayed or broken - though I dont know - it may have been cut to use for something else.

I was thinking of reasons why would you remove a shoe lace?
Possibly if the feet were swollen and the shoe needed to be open.
You needed to use the lace as a tourniquet.
To use as a sling.
You needed to hold something together.
You needed to attach something to yourself or make a hold.
To leave as a clue.
To use as a wick.
:dunno:

Good thinking Fig!

But if you took out a lace to use for something else why would you then discard it? Or maybe he simply lost it?

I find this shoelace quite mysterious!

I also find it astonishing that it was found. A black shoelace doesn't exactly catch the eye I would think. A water bottle, yes, but a black string? Did it say in the video where it was found?