MaryG12
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I read that they had initial hopes of finding him alive as there was rain not long after he went missing. Unfortunately, this affects the scent trail Two-thirds of scent given off by the subject is heavier than air. It falls to the ground or blows alongside to the ground. These heavier particles form a trail. As the bacteria on the scent particles (skin cells) digest the protein they convert the cells to vapors. The trailing dogs will follow this scent. The longer the bacteria works on the protein, the more it is consumed, until at last, it is all gone. Warm, moist weather causes the fastest rate of conversion, more scent, but a much shorter duration. Looking at historical radar (www.piperairsafety.com) there was a large and fairly heavy rain shower that moved through the park not long after his wife reported him missing but prior to when it was likely an organized search began.
If Paul was wearing suntan lotion/sunscreen/insect repellent, would that have thrown the dogs off course in not being able to follow his tracks?