Found Deceased AZ - Jerold Williams, 5, Jacob Lake, 6 Aug 2015

[ClaireNC]

I notice it was volunteer searchers that finally found him, not the "qualified and trained searchers" we continually hear about. You know, the ones that always immediately shut out the public when a search begins.

....and always stick to protocol. :gaah:

 

[gitana1]

Now that additional information has come out, it is pretty easy to understand what happened to Jerold.

He was separated from his mother at the campsite along forest road 241. Somehow he managed to find his way back to forest road 241 and started walking east, AWAY from the campsite. He may have walked through the forested area for awhile before he found road 241 again.

While initially searching for him, his family may have been concentrating on the area between the campsite and the main road to it, which would be to the west of the campsite. As they were concentrating on the immediate area, Jerold was walking further away down road 241, or in that direction.

He walked and walked and walked and walked down road 241, about 6 miles all together. His fatal mistake was when he made a left turn onto forest road 240. This would have been a lightly traveled primitive road which is really only suitable for 4 X 4's and ATV's. He continued walking down this road until it dead ended.



The timeframe in which he did all of this is unknown. It's very obvious that he could have easily slipped out of the initial 2 mile search zone rather quickly. By the time LE arrived, he may have already been well beyond the 2 mile search radius. Keep in mind, LE and the parents had no idea which direction to look, so they were forced to look in ALL directions, 3 of which were wrong. As they continued to fan out around the campsite, Jerold continued to walk down the 241 road.


None of us know how long this journey took, or if he walked this road 241 in the dark, or how many times he stopped and circled back. He at least had the presence of mind to stay on or near the main road. That area is heavily forested and the terrain is rocky and a burden to hike around on. Staying on the main road would be much easier and safer.

Keep in mind, when I refer to the "main road", I'm talking about the forest road 241. This is an unmaintained road that is lightly traveled. These roads are not anything like the nice smooth gravel roads like you may find on the drive to grandma's house in the country. They have rocks jutting up, low spots, soft spots, huge mud puddles, uphill climbs and downhill drops.....and all that in a one mile stretch. Many times you have to literally crawl along in a full sized pickup, unless you don't care about tearing up the suspension on your vehicle. Many of these roads aren't much more than glorified game trails. I suspect that forest road 240 was an even rougher road than 241, simply because it would have rarely been traveled by anyone other than ATV enthusiast and hunters. This may well have been why Jerold ventured down it......he was following tracks.

He would have had NO access to water, there are no signs of civilization in that area, and it would have been pitch black dark at night time.

In my mind, the worst part about this is the fact that had he continued to walk down forest road 241, rather than taking 240, it would have dumped him out right there at the main highway to the Grand Canyon. Just another 2 miles on 241, and he would have heard and seen cars passing by on the paved highway. He was that close.

Below is a map I made up late yesterday showing where he was found and how he got there. The first 6 items on the menu are what I added. The other items below are things I was noting before he was found, such as the location of watering holes.

Recap: He walked along road 241, he took a left at road 240, and he was eventually found somewhere towards the end of road 240 where it dead ended. He was found approx. 4 miles in a straight line from the campsite, which equates to around 8 1/2 drivng/walking miles.

Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zAAmDUXJe_aE.kcsOUmM2GJ3A&usp=sharing

Thank you so much for that super informative and logical post.

I was reading some reviews of the area on TripAdvisor. Here's the link:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...tional_Forest-Jacob_Lake_Arizona.html#REVIEWS

Notice how cold so many have said it gets at nigh, even in August. IIRC, didn't the report say hypothermia may have played a role in little Jerold's death? Yet others have also commented about the fact he had on such warm clothing for the high temperatures and he may have become overheated. Just wondering if we know what the actual temperatures (highs and lows) were during the time he went missing.

Didnt it rain the night he went missing? So hot and then rain sodden clothes that he had on when temps plummeted.

 

[steelman]

....and always stick to protocol. :gaah:

I'll reply to your post in the only way that makes sense, then I'm moving on to other things.

Adkins was last seen in the Koomer Ridge Campground. He suffers from mental illness and wandered away from the area. Family tells LEX 18 that he survived by eating corn, apples and drinking stream water.

Searchers used drones and dogs in the search for the missing man. But after several minor injuries and a threat of venomous snakes, the search was called off. More than 100 rescuers from 25 different agencies across the commonwealth worked tirelessly until the point that the search was ended.

Mike Sparks with Powell Co. Search and Rescue says that Adkins was spotted at 7:30 a.m and was picked up around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. It's a miraculous discovery after search crews spent two weeks combing the national park.

http://www.lex18.com/story/29769957...-gorge-found-alive?utm_source=facebook_LEX_18

They looked for this guy for over a week, and then gave up on it. He was eventually found just walking along minding his business.

I guess that says it all. Thank the lord for protocol and the people that live by them......I wish them all luck.

 

[drjones]

"Coconino County Sheriff's Office Sorry for the delay in getting back to everyone on this, but yes - Jerold was found near FS 240 and the later part of the release should have read "found his way to Forest Road 241 and followed it to Forest Road 240." Thanks"

https://www.facebook.com/CoconinoSheriff

 

[Jules71]

Now that additional information has come out, it is pretty easy to understand what happened to Jerold.

He was separated from his mother at the campsite along forest road 241. Somehow he managed to find his way back to forest road 241 and started walking east, AWAY from the campsite. He may have walked through the forested area for awhile before he found road 241 again.

While initially searching for him, his family may have been concentrating on the area between the campsite and the main road to it, which would be to the west of the campsite. As they were concentrating on the immediate area, Jerold was walking further away down road 241, or in that direction.

He walked and walked and walked and walked down road 241, about 6 miles all together. His fatal mistake was when he made a left turn onto forest road 240. This would have been a lightly traveled primitive road which is really only suitable for 4 X 4's and ATV's. He continued walking down this road until it dead ended.



The timeframe in which he did all of this is unknown. It's very obvious that he could have easily slipped out of the initial 2 mile search zone rather quickly. By the time LE arrived, he may have already been well beyond the 2 mile search radius. Keep in mind, LE and the parents had no idea which direction to look, so they were forced to look in ALL directions, 3 of which were wrong. As they continued to fan out around the campsite, Jerold continued to walk down the 241 road.


None of us know how long this journey took, or if he walked this road 241 in the dark, or how many times he stopped and circled back. He at least had the presence of mind to stay on or near the main road. That area is heavily forested and the terrain is rocky and a burden to hike around on. Staying on the main road would be much easier and safer.

Keep in mind, when I refer to the "main road", I'm talking about the forest road 241. This is an unmaintained road that is lightly traveled. These roads are not anything like the nice smooth gravel roads like you may find on the drive to grandma's house in the country. They have rocks jutting up, low spots, soft spots, huge mud puddles, uphill climbs and downhill drops.....and all that in a one mile stretch. Many times you have to literally crawl along in a full sized pickup, unless you don't care about tearing up the suspension on your vehicle. Many of these roads aren't much more than glorified game trails. I suspect that forest road 240 was an even rougher road than 241, simply because it would have rarely been traveled by anyone other than ATV enthusiast and hunters. This may well have been why Jerold ventured down it......he was following tracks.

He would have had NO access to water, there are no signs of civilization in that area, and it would have been pitch black dark at night time.

In my mind, the worst part about this is the fact that had he continued to walk down forest road 241, rather than taking 240, it would have dumped him out right there at the main highway to the Grand Canyon. Just another 2 miles on 241, and he would have heard and seen cars passing by on the paved highway. He was that close.

Below is a map I made up late yesterday showing where he was found and how he got there. The first 6 items on the menu are what I added. The other items below are things I was noting before he was found, such as the location of watering holes.

Recap: He walked along road 241, he took a left at road 240, and he was eventually found somewhere towards the end of road 240 where it dead ended. He was found approx. 4 miles in a straight line from the campsite, which equates to around 8 1/2 drivng/walking miles.

Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zAAmDUXJe_aE.kcsOUmM2GJ3A&usp=sharing

Thanks so much for this recap. I wonder what made him go left on 240 rather than staying on 241. Especially since it appears to be up hill. Looks steep to me from the maps. So sad that he was so close to coming around to the highway.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[gitana1]

I've thought for a long time their search and rescue techniques are seriously flawed.

1) Much like in this case, it took a huge amount of time to get "mobilized and setup". They even stated that they didn't really search much the first night, but waited until the next morning to really get it going.
I have headlights on my ATV, I can plug a spotlight into my ATV..........can they ? I have no idea why they wouldn't have sent a couple of rangers out on ATV's to run up and down every trail and every road they know about in the hours right after he went missing. It seems like common sense to me......but I don't run the SAR teams. I can only assume it has something to do with following "protocol".

2) There have been too many of these searches where a deceased person has been completely overlooked, although there are later claims that the area where they were eventually found had been searched 2, 3, maybe 4 times.......and yet they were completely missed. Why would that be ?
We've seen it over and over again in these searches.........it's almost comical, were it not such a serious situation.

3) Scent tracking dogs ?.....leave them at the kennel, or give them a pay raise. They're either totally useless, or their handlers are.


If anything at all was learned here, I hope the sheriff in Idaho realizes that Deorr Kuntz may have in fact traveled much further and much faster than anyone thought possible. He needs to be brought home too, just like Jerold. I've thought all along that he was still out there in the forest, they just either haven't looked far enough out or they simply missed him.

I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure how fair it is? SAR teams operate with protocols so they can coordinate their efforts and not roam in circles, and also so they don't add additional victims to the searches/rescues.

It makes perfect sense to me that a pro team would have a system set up that ensures the safety of the team and also that every location on a grid is covered.

As to the efficacy of SAR teams, they find and rescue thousands. It's just that the cases where a person is not found right away garner much more news because the wait becomes agony. here is a small list of rescues and finds by SAR teams:

On 01/24, the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) requested assistance from PNWSAR in the rescue of a family who became lost while hiking near Trillium Lake. The family called 911 and requested assistance after becoming lost when darkness fell. Using cell phone tracking, a PNWSAR team located all five members of the family, including a two year old child, and began escorting them back to the parking lot. A second PNWSAR team joined after approximately one mile, and determined that one family member was having trouble walking and requested transport. The subject was treated and transported the remaining distance. All family members reunited at base and reported no serious injuries. Communications and cell phone tracking provided by Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.

On 01/10, the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) requested assistance from PNWSAR in the search for a missing climber in the Paradise Park area of Mt. Hood. PNWSAR team members responded and formed two teams to monitor trailheads on the lower portion of the mountain. Portland Mountain Rescue and the Timberline Ski Patrol each deployed a team to search the upper portion of the mountain near the climbers last known location. At approximately 02:30 the Ski Patrol located the subject and guided him back to Timberline Lodge. Communications and cell phone tracking were provided by Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.
http://www.pnwsar.org/searches

Clarion County coroner Terry Shaffer says the body of 22-year-old Aaron Kriebel was recovered Tuesday morning from a pond located on private property off Henry Road in Toby Township.
Kriebel was pronounced dead of an apparent accident.
Shaffer says rescue workers initially responded to the scene early Monday evening, but the Perry Township resident's body wasn't found until divers and a search-and-rescue team resumed the search on Tuesday.
http://www.wtrf.com/story/29767256/body-of-western-pennsylvania-man-pulled-from-old-mine-pond

The body of a man who was last seen swimming Sunday morning in Barren River Lake was recovered Tuesday afternoon not far from where he went underwater.
Feeling around the lake bottom by hand, divers found Clay Nelson, 21, of Bowling Green near a water treatment intake zone at the Narrows area of the lake in Lucas, said Lucas Hurt, an officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Nelson’s body was located at 1:31 p.m., according to Tracy Shirley, director of Glasgow-Barren County Emergency Management.
Hurt said divers were clearing sections of the bottom by making 50-foot circles on each dive and found Nelson’s body on the second time down Tuesday. Members of the Barren County Search and Rescue Dive Team made the discovery, according to Kevin Poynter, training officer for the dive team.
http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/ne...cle_e6035748-40a9-11e5-9687-db497d57f5e6.html

The son of a elderly man with dementia who went missing from a care home has expressed his thanks to the “fantastic” Northants Search and Rescue team who helped to find him.
http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/ne...team-for-finding-his-missing-father-1-6896249

Police and the Cornwall Search and Rescue team were called to Bodmin Moor yesterday to try and locate a man and his dog who had gone missing.
A search for the 21 year-old began in the afternoon in atrocious weather conditions, with thick fog and rain covering the moor.
A search and rescue dog team was deployed and he was eventually found and apart from being cold and wet, the man was uninjured and was taken off the moor by Land Rover.

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/Mi...tory-27557313-detail/story.html#ixzz3icjEt3iS

EUREKA SPRINGS (KFSM) — A mountain biker who got lost at Lake Leatherwood in Carroll County was found by search and rescue teams Monday (August 3).
Vickers told rescuers the crash disabled her bike so she began walking it back toward the lake, but lost track of Beacham Trail while crossing a creek bed as darkness set in, according to Ates. She was able to text a map screen shot showing her location before her phone battery died.
Search crews established a command post in the Lake Leatherwood ball fields parking lot and five teams were dispatched to look for Vickers, according to Ates. Shortly after 10 p.m., a search team located fresh foot prints and a bike tire imprint. A few minutes later the team found Vickers on a hillside where she had started a fire while waiting for rescue.
​

http://5newsonline.com/2015/08/04/s...yclist-at-lake-leatherwood-in-carroll-county/

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A 14-year-old boy was reunited with his mother after the two were separated while camping in the Beartooth Mountains.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1Wf1NhE ) the Park County search and rescue team found Tyler Eichmann early Sunday after he spent the night alone. The boy had gone off in search for his mother, Wendy Pillsbury, who became lost Saturday while hiking.
The mother and son are from Greenwich, Connecticut.
Pillsbury had gone for a hike after they set up camp near Wall Lake. She became lost and wandered for hours before reaching Beartooth Campground. She told authorities her son was still at their camp.
But rescuers found no sign of Eichmann at the camp. He was found hours later on a trail.
Rescuers returned Eichmann to his mother.
http://www.kulr8.com/story/29757723/teen-rescued-after-being-stranded-in-beartooth-mountains

EPHRAIM — Door County sheriff’s officials say a body found near Ephraim has been positively identified as that of missing Fox Valley doctor Jeffrey Whiteside. That’s according to FOX11Online.com.
Authorities say a K9 search team found human remains in the Town of Liberty Grove Wednesday afternoon, July 22nd near some trees in an uninhabited area. Sheriff’s deputies and officials with the Wisconsin Crime Lab investigated after getting a search warrant for the property. http://fox6now.com/2015/07/23/body-found-in-door-county-no-identification/


I notice that many of these rescues or finds are just blips on the radar news-wise. Because they were found relatively quickly. Again, I think because we deal with cases that are unusual and agonizing when nothing is found immediately, we assume SAR teams are useless. I don;t think that is at all a good assumption.

I know SAR team members are constantly trying to refine their techniques and work more efficiently.

I also think that in the cases where it is a not a pro team that finds a person, a few things are at play:

1. Luck. Sometimes it is just a passerby, not a searcher, who finds a body due to odd happenstance. Like in the case of Caylee or the McStay family. People go off the road for a moment to do something like pee. Or do drugs. Or whatever.
2. People are found outside the search area that has been cleared by SAR. But it is necessary to search from inside out because typically missing people are found close to where they were last seen. SAR teams searches often allow areas to be cleared and cause other searchers to go outside what has been searched and cleared to find the missing person. Which is what happened here.
3. Persistence. After volunteers and other pros have scaled back, people with a more personal connection like family or friends or locals, may persist in searching. And in cases where a person hasn't been found for days, sometimes the persistent family or friends or locals may be the one to evenutally find the missing person.

I think SAR teams are quite valuable. But nothing is ever 100% foolproof or effective. Nevertheless, these teams do so much to assist in locating and rescuing people on a regular basis - much of which does not make headline news - and I would never criticize volunteers who are simply doing the best they can to try to help.

 

[gitana1]

Thanks so much for this recap. I wonder what made him go left on 240 rather than staying on 241. Especially since it appears to be up hill. Looks steep to me from the maps. So sad that he was so close to coming around to the highway.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

Maybe he though he could see better from a height and be able to see his camp or rescuers or whatever.

 

[SweetT]

Maybe he though he could see better from a height and be able to see his camp or rescuers or whatever.

Yea or he maybe thought they would see him better. Just sad. Poor little guy.

 

[bluesneakers]

Maybe he though he could see better from a height and be able to see his camp or rescuers or whatever.

Maybe he remembered walking uphill (or downhill) earlier and thought it would lead him back to where he'd been.

 

[iamnotagolem]

I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure how fair it is? SAR teams operate with protocols so they can coordinate their efforts and not roam in circles, and also so they don't add additional victims to the searches/rescues.

It makes perfect sense to me that a pro team would have a system set up that ensures the safety of the team and also that every location on a grid is covered.

As to the efficacy of SAR teams, they find and rescue thousands. It's just that the cases where a person is not found right away garner much more news because the wait becomes agony. here is a small list of rescues and finds by SAR teams:

On 01/24, the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) requested assistance from PNWSAR in the rescue of a family who became lost while hiking near Trillium Lake. The family called 911 and requested assistance after becoming lost when darkness fell. Using cell phone tracking, a PNWSAR team located all five members of the family, including a two year old child, and began escorting them back to the parking lot. A second PNWSAR team joined after approximately one mile, and determined that one family member was having trouble walking and requested transport. The subject was treated and transported the remaining distance. All family members reunited at base and reported no serious injuries. Communications and cell phone tracking provided by Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.

On 01/10, the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) requested assistance from PNWSAR in the search for a missing climber in the Paradise Park area of Mt. Hood. PNWSAR team members responded and formed two teams to monitor trailheads on the lower portion of the mountain. Portland Mountain Rescue and the Timberline Ski Patrol each deployed a team to search the upper portion of the mountain near the climbers last known location. At approximately 02:30 the Ski Patrol located the subject and guided him back to Timberline Lodge. Communications and cell phone tracking were provided by Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.
http://www.pnwsar.org/searches

Clarion County coroner Terry Shaffer says the body of 22-year-old Aaron Kriebel was recovered Tuesday morning from a pond located on private property off Henry Road in Toby Township.
Kriebel was pronounced dead of an apparent accident.
Shaffer says rescue workers initially responded to the scene early Monday evening, but the Perry Township resident's body wasn't found until divers and a search-and-rescue team resumed the search on Tuesday.
http://www.wtrf.com/story/29767256/body-of-western-pennsylvania-man-pulled-from-old-mine-pond

The body of a man who was last seen swimming Sunday morning in Barren River Lake was recovered Tuesday afternoon not far from where he went underwater.
Feeling around the lake bottom by hand, divers found Clay Nelson, 21, of Bowling Green near a water treatment intake zone at the Narrows area of the lake in Lucas, said Lucas Hurt, an officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Nelson’s body was located at 1:31 p.m., according to Tracy Shirley, director of Glasgow-Barren County Emergency Management.
Hurt said divers were clearing sections of the bottom by making 50-foot circles on each dive and found Nelson’s body on the second time down Tuesday. Members of the Barren County Search and Rescue Dive Team made the discovery, according to Kevin Poynter, training officer for the dive team.
http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/ne...cle_e6035748-40a9-11e5-9687-db497d57f5e6.html

The son of a elderly man with dementia who went missing from a care home has expressed his thanks to the “fantastic” Northants Search and Rescue team who helped to find him.
http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/ne...team-for-finding-his-missing-father-1-6896249

Police and the Cornwall Search and Rescue team were called to Bodmin Moor yesterday to try and locate a man and his dog who had gone missing.
A search for the 21 year-old began in the afternoon in atrocious weather conditions, with thick fog and rain covering the moor.
A search and rescue dog team was deployed and he was eventually found and apart from being cold and wet, the man was uninjured and was taken off the moor by Land Rover.

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/Mi...tory-27557313-detail/story.html#ixzz3icjEt3iS

EUREKA SPRINGS (KFSM) — A mountain biker who got lost at Lake Leatherwood in Carroll County was found by search and rescue teams Monday (August 3).
Vickers told rescuers the crash disabled her bike so she began walking it back toward the lake, but lost track of Beacham Trail while crossing a creek bed as darkness set in, according to Ates. She was able to text a map screen shot showing her location before her phone battery died.
Search crews established a command post in the Lake Leatherwood ball fields parking lot and five teams were dispatched to look for Vickers, according to Ates. Shortly after 10 p.m., a search team located fresh foot prints and a bike tire imprint. A few minutes later the team found Vickers on a hillside where she had started a fire while waiting for rescue.
​

http://5newsonline.com/2015/08/04/s...yclist-at-lake-leatherwood-in-carroll-county/

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A 14-year-old boy was reunited with his mother after the two were separated while camping in the Beartooth Mountains.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1Wf1NhE ) the Park County search and rescue team found Tyler Eichmann early Sunday after he spent the night alone. The boy had gone off in search for his mother, Wendy Pillsbury, who became lost Saturday while hiking.
The mother and son are from Greenwich, Connecticut.
Pillsbury had gone for a hike after they set up camp near Wall Lake. She became lost and wandered for hours before reaching Beartooth Campground. She told authorities her son was still at their camp.
But rescuers found no sign of Eichmann at the camp. He was found hours later on a trail.
Rescuers returned Eichmann to his mother.
http://www.kulr8.com/story/29757723/teen-rescued-after-being-stranded-in-beartooth-mountains

EPHRAIM — Door County sheriff’s officials say a body found near Ephraim has been positively identified as that of missing Fox Valley doctor Jeffrey Whiteside. That’s according to FOX11Online.com.
Authorities say a K9 search team found human remains in the Town of Liberty Grove Wednesday afternoon, July 22nd near some trees in an uninhabited area. Sheriff’s deputies and officials with the Wisconsin Crime Lab investigated after getting a search warrant for the property. http://fox6now.com/2015/07/23/body-found-in-door-county-no-identification/


I notice that many of these rescues or finds are just blips on the radar news-wise. Because they were found relatively quickly. Again, I think because we deal with cases that are unusual and agonizing when nothing is found immediately, we assume SAR teams are useless. I don;t think that is at all a good assumption.

I know SAR team members are constantly trying to refine their techniques and work more efficiently.

I also think that in the cases where it is a not a pro team that finds a person, a few things are at play:

1. Luck. Sometimes it is just a passerby, not a searcher, who finds a body due to odd happenstance. Like in the case of Caylee or the McStay family. People go off the road for a moment to do something like pee. Or do drugs. Or whatever.
2. People are found outside the search area that has been cleared by SAR. But it is necessary to search from inside out because typically missing people are found close to where they were last seen. SAR teams searches often allow areas to be cleared and cause other searchers to go outside what has been searched and cleared to find the missing person. Which is what happened here.
3. Persistence. After volunteers and other pros have scaled back, people with a more personal connection like family or friends or locals, may persist in searching. And in cases where a person hasn't been found for days, sometimes the persistent family or friends or locals may be the one to evenutally find the missing person.

I think SAR teams are quite valuable. But nothing is ever 100% foolproof or effective. Nevertheless, these teams do so much to assist in locating and rescuing people on a regular basis - much of which does not make headline news - and I would never criticize volunteers who are simply doing the best they can to try to help.

Thanks for sharing that. I do think following all these cases with SAR not finding people makes us jaded. I posted upthread about local SAR recovering at 6 people in the last 3 weeks that haven't made headlines except locally. There are at least 2 other cases that I know took place in the last week here but they didn't even get a mention in the local news.

 

[neesaki]

I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure how fair it is? SAR teams operate with protocols so they can coordinate their efforts and not roam in circles, and also so they don't add additional victims to the searches/rescues.

It makes perfect sense to me that a pro team would have a system set up that ensures the safety of the team and also that every location on a grid is covered.

As to the efficacy of SAR teams, they find and rescue thousands. It's just that the cases where a person is not found right away garner much more news because the wait becomes agony. here is a small list of rescues and finds by SAR teams:

On 01/24, the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) requested assistance from PNWSAR in the rescue of a family who became lost while hiking near Trillium Lake. The family called 911 and requested assistance after becoming lost when darkness fell. Using cell phone tracking, a PNWSAR team located all five members of the family, including a two year old child, and began escorting them back to the parking lot. A second PNWSAR team joined after approximately one mile, and determined that one family member was having trouble walking and requested transport. The subject was treated and transported the remaining distance. All family members reunited at base and reported no serious injuries. Communications and cell phone tracking provided by Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.

On 01/10, the Clackamas County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) requested assistance from PNWSAR in the search for a missing climber in the Paradise Park area of Mt. Hood. PNWSAR team members responded and formed two teams to monitor trailheads on the lower portion of the mountain. Portland Mountain Rescue and the Timberline Ski Patrol each deployed a team to search the upper portion of the mountain near the climbers last known location. At approximately 02:30 the Ski Patrol located the subject and guided him back to Timberline Lodge. Communications and cell phone tracking were provided by Mountain Wave Emergency Communications.
http://www.pnwsar.org/searches

Clarion County coroner Terry Shaffer says the body of 22-year-old Aaron Kriebel was recovered Tuesday morning from a pond located on private property off Henry Road in Toby Township.
Kriebel was pronounced dead of an apparent accident.
Shaffer says rescue workers initially responded to the scene early Monday evening, but the Perry Township resident's body wasn't found until divers and a search-and-rescue team resumed the search on Tuesday.
http://www.wtrf.com/story/29767256/body-of-western-pennsylvania-man-pulled-from-old-mine-pond

The body of a man who was last seen swimming Sunday morning in Barren River Lake was recovered Tuesday afternoon not far from where he went underwater.
Feeling around the lake bottom by hand, divers found Clay Nelson, 21, of Bowling Green near a water treatment intake zone at the Narrows area of the lake in Lucas, said Lucas Hurt, an officer with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Nelson’s body was located at 1:31 p.m., according to Tracy Shirley, director of Glasgow-Barren County Emergency Management.
Hurt said divers were clearing sections of the bottom by making 50-foot circles on each dive and found Nelson’s body on the second time down Tuesday. Members of the Barren County Search and Rescue Dive Team made the discovery, according to Kevin Poynter, training officer for the dive team.
http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/ne...cle_e6035748-40a9-11e5-9687-db497d57f5e6.html

The son of a elderly man with dementia who went missing from a care home has expressed his thanks to the “fantastic” Northants Search and Rescue team who helped to find him.
http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/ne...team-for-finding-his-missing-father-1-6896249

Police and the Cornwall Search and Rescue team were called to Bodmin Moor yesterday to try and locate a man and his dog who had gone missing.
A search for the 21 year-old began in the afternoon in atrocious weather conditions, with thick fog and rain covering the moor.
A search and rescue dog team was deployed and he was eventually found and apart from being cold and wet, the man was uninjured and was taken off the moor by Land Rover.

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/Mi...tory-27557313-detail/story.html#ixzz3icjEt3iS

EUREKA SPRINGS (KFSM) — A mountain biker who got lost at Lake Leatherwood in Carroll County was found by search and rescue teams Monday (August 3).
Vickers told rescuers the crash disabled her bike so she began walking it back toward the lake, but lost track of Beacham Trail while crossing a creek bed as darkness set in, according to Ates. She was able to text a map screen shot showing her location before her phone battery died.
Search crews established a command post in the Lake Leatherwood ball fields parking lot and five teams were dispatched to look for Vickers, according to Ates. Shortly after 10 p.m., a search team located fresh foot prints and a bike tire imprint. A few minutes later the team found Vickers on a hillside where she had started a fire while waiting for rescue.
​

http://5newsonline.com/2015/08/04/s...yclist-at-lake-leatherwood-in-carroll-county/

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A 14-year-old boy was reunited with his mother after the two were separated while camping in the Beartooth Mountains.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1Wf1NhE ) the Park County search and rescue team found Tyler Eichmann early Sunday after he spent the night alone. The boy had gone off in search for his mother, Wendy Pillsbury, who became lost Saturday while hiking.
The mother and son are from Greenwich, Connecticut.
Pillsbury had gone for a hike after they set up camp near Wall Lake. She became lost and wandered for hours before reaching Beartooth Campground. She told authorities her son was still at their camp.
But rescuers found no sign of Eichmann at the camp. He was found hours later on a trail.
Rescuers returned Eichmann to his mother.
http://www.kulr8.com/story/29757723/teen-rescued-after-being-stranded-in-beartooth-mountains

EPHRAIM — Door County sheriff’s officials say a body found near Ephraim has been positively identified as that of missing Fox Valley doctor Jeffrey Whiteside. That’s according to FOX11Online.com.
Authorities say a K9 search team found human remains in the Town of Liberty Grove Wednesday afternoon, July 22nd near some trees in an uninhabited area. Sheriff’s deputies and officials with the Wisconsin Crime Lab investigated after getting a search warrant for the property. http://fox6now.com/2015/07/23/body-found-in-door-county-no-identification/


I notice that many of these rescues or finds are just blips on the radar news-wise. Because they were found relatively quickly. Again, I think because we deal with cases that are unusual and agonizing when nothing is found immediately, we assume SAR teams are useless. I don;t think that is at all a good assumption.

I know SAR team members are constantly trying to refine their techniques and work more efficiently.

I also think that in the cases where it is a not a pro team that finds a person, a few things are at play:

1. Luck. Sometimes it is just a passerby, not a searcher, who finds a body due to odd happenstance. Like in the case of Caylee or the McStay family. People go off the road for a moment to do something like pee. Or do drugs. Or whatever.
2. People are found outside the search area that has been cleared by SAR. But it is necessary to search from inside out because typically missing people are found close to where they were last seen. SAR teams searches often allow areas to be cleared and cause other searchers to go outside what has been searched and cleared to find the missing person. Which is what happened here.
3. Persistence. After volunteers and other pros have scaled back, people with a more personal connection like family or friends or locals, may persist in searching. And in cases where a person hasn't been found for days, sometimes the persistent family or friends or locals may be the one to evenutally find the missing person.

I think SAR teams are quite valuable. But nothing is ever 100% foolproof or effective. Nevertheless, these teams do so much to assist in locating and rescuing people on a regular basis - much of which does not make headline news - and I would never criticize volunteers who are simply doing the best they can to try to help.

Thank you for this post, the criticism regarding SAR teams/dogs was really starting to bother me.

 

[Morag]

They were four-wheeling (?) out in the Colorado wilderness on the side of a mountain. Their vehicle became stuck in a ditch, their GPS failed, and they couldn't get cell service. When they were about two hours overdue, I got a partial phone call from them before the signal died.

I then called S&R, and even though I had almost no idea where they were, I told them everything I could. My hero told me to keep the phone line free and report back to him when I had more information, and to tell them to stick with the vehicle and to light a fire.

They called several more times and were able to provide me with a trail number. I kept calling my S&R contact with information. By then it was midnight on a cold October evening. He said, we can't go out this evening, but we will muster and ride out at daylight. He called me several more times during the course of that long night.

At mid-morning, he called me and said there was no sign of them on that trail- well, you can imagine how I felt! But I knew S&R would find them, even if they had to send a helicopter up. They continued to search, and eventually I had a call: We got 'em on the backs of our ATVs. Whewww!

Later that day two very dirty men showed up, semi-starved- they had only had water and gummy worms to eat for over 24 hours (and coffee from S&R). That very night was the first snow of the season, and there was 4 feet of snow on the mountain. I don't know what would have happened if it had snowed when they were stuck up there.

The end of the story? It cost us $4000 to get the jeep rescued by a local garage, but Search and Rescue didn't charge a nickel. I would never dream of criticizing them or their fellow teams throughout the country and the world. (We got lost in the woods on a mountain in Switzerland once, too, but we were able to self-rescue by hiking downhill). They do noble work and can't be expected to be perfect.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

They were four-wheeling (?) out in the Colorado wilderness on the side of a mountain. Their vehicle became stuck in a ditch, their GPS failed, and they couldn't get cell service. When they were about two hours overdue, I got a partial phone call from them before the signal died.

I then called S&R, and even though I had almost no idea where they were, I told them everything I could. My hero told me to keep the phone line free and report back to him when I had more information, and to tell them to stick with the vehicle and to light a fire.

They called several more times and were able to provide me with a trail number. I kept calling my S&R contact with information. By then it was midnight on a cold October evening. He said, we can't go out this evening, but we will muster and ride out at daylight. He called me several more times during the course of that long night.

At mid-morning, he called me and said there was no sign of them on that trail- well, you can imagine how I felt! But I knew S&R would find them, even if they had to send a helicopter up. They continued to search, and eventually I had a call: We got 'em on the backs of our ATVs. Whewww!

Later that day two very dirty men showed up, semi-starved- they had only had water and gummy worms to eat for over 24 hours (and coffee from S&R). That very night was the first snow of the season, and there was 4 feet of snow on the mountain. I don't know what would have happened if it had snowed when they were stuck up there.

The end of the story? It cost us $4000 to get the jeep rescued by a local garage, but Search and Rescue didn't charge a nickel. I would never dream of criticizing them or their fellow teams throughout the country and the world. (We got lost in the woods on a mountain in Switzerland once, too, but we were able to self-rescue by hiking downhill). They do noble work and can't be expected to be perfect.

Thank you for your story! :hug:

 

[Hatfield]

I was told an emergency trick to use when you are really lost and if it is at the point where it is very serious then light the biggest forest fire you can. Burn the place down is what was told to me. But make sure you are not downwind of the fire or you could get killed.

I don't think it would be good to use that method unless you know you are in serious trouble because you may get prosecuted for starting the fire but if it means life and death I have that trick in the back of my mind. So bring plenty of matches and lighter and that would be one way to get rescued I would think.

 

[Hatfield]

Reading all the threads in the missing forums there is one common factor to many of these cases.
They are usually found within 5 miles from where they went missing.
After an area is checked another group should go back over it. We see this happen again and again

But what I do not understand is why he didn't hear them calling for him and why they didn't hear Jerold.

It is surprisingly hard to hear anything in the woods when someone gets out just a short ways. What happens is the bark of the trees and the leaves and the brush all absorb the noise and it makes it very difficult for sound to carry.

The only sounds that carry well are very loud sharp sounds like a gunshot. But if you are just calling with your voice the sound does not carry far at all.

That has been my experience when in the woods trying to call out to people. Voices do not carry far.

We even had a guy honking their vehicle once looking for someone and we were quite surprised how the cars horn did not carry very well.

You are right about the 5 mile thing though. I think searchers need to stay focused close to the missing spot. Especially with a young child. Too many times I think searchers go out too far without searching well enough close by.

 

[Purplepixii]

I left this thread because the ending was so sad. Now this came up in my FB feed: http://www.hlntv.com/article/2015/08/14/jerold-williams-body-found

It can't be true can it?

 

[drjones]

I left this thread because the ending was so sad. Now this came up in my FB feed: http://www.hlntv.com/article/2015/08/14/jerold-williams-body-found

It can't be true can it?

Im not sure what you mean, what can't be true?

 

[katydid23]

I was told an emergency trick to use when you are really lost and if it is at the point where it is very serious then light the biggest forest fire you can. Burn the place down is what was told to me. But make sure you are not downwind of the fire or you could get killed.

I don't think it would be good to use that method unless you know you are in serious trouble because you may get prosecuted for starting the fire but if it means life and death I have that trick in the back of my mind. So bring plenty of matches and lighter and that would be one way to get rescued I would think.

I wouldn't try that in California.

 

[bluesneakers]

I wouldn't try that in California.

Or anywhere else.

 

[loreet]

Though I consider myself an experienced hiker, I got lost once hiking (alone) on National Forest land. I was following a trail that seemed clear enough, but at some point I must have veered onto a game trail and became disoriented. In the immediate moments after I realized I was lost, I completely panicked. I tried to find my way back to the trail, then ran back in the direction I thought I came from before. I was frantic and in my anxiety, I made unwise decisions and worsened the situation. Finally after the initial adrenaline wore off, I was able to sit and more calmly make a plan. I found my way to a dirt road, and was lucky enough to encounter a couple on ATVs who gave me a ride. Even as a young adult, I was wary of describing my situation and asking for help to these strangers. But I am so glad I did.

The take home wisdom I am moved to share: if you or your child/loved one become lost, it is extremely difficult not to panic, so STAY PUT until you think the situation through. A person with experience hiking or in the out-of-doors is NOT the same as a person with experience being lost and alone.

The whistle is an amazing idea -- please give one to every person on every outing. And remind them at the beginning of every day during a trip to please STAY PUT if they become lost, no matter how panicked they may become. You will find them.

Such a tragedy. I am so sorry for this boy's family.