Found Deceased VA - Nicole Clardy Mittendorff, 31, Woodbridge, 13 April 2016 - #1

[margarita25]

Husband appeals for help in finding his wife, missing Virginia firefighter Nicole*Mittendorff
http://wtvr.com/2016/04/19/nicole-mittendorff-missing-firefighter/

"FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. -- Relatives and colleagues of missing Virginia firefighter Nicole Mittendorff are appealing to the public for help in finding her.

"As you can imagine, the pain of not knowing where a loved one is can be unbearable," Mittendorff's husband, Steve, said in tears during a news conference Tuesday at a Fairfax County firehouse."

Snip

"There's "no evidence to indicate that her disappearance is suspicious in nature," Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.

At the news conference Tuesday, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Bowers called for the public's help in locating Mittendorff -- a "motivated and dedicated" firefighter and paramedic for three years who was "respected and well-liked" by her colleagues.

"It has been almost a week and we are saddened that Nicole is not back with us," he said."

 

[tauntaun]

I keep reading how popular this area is for hiking, wouldn't there be at least one person who saw her there ?

when I lived in NoVa these areas were never as busy during the week as they are during the weekend it's the same where I am now in Florida.

with that sad though, someone did comment on the Find Nicole page that she and her roommate saw a woman pull into a parking area around there in front of them and did report it after seeing the news. They didn't state the car they saw though but it could still be something.

 

[Sunnyin_fl]

New to web sleuths. Here are a few items I've read, confirmed through FB posts and some theories of my own.

1. Last communication with dad on Wednesday 10:50am
<modsnip>
3. Didn't show up for work on Friday, but probably already concern before then, and that confirmed it. 24 hours before can file missing persons. 12 I believe if you think they are a danger to themselves, I may be wrong on that part.
4. Someone on FB said they saw her around noon at the park (can't remember which trail) and reported to police and to the family
<modsnip>
6. Not opening search to public due to the terrain and fear of others getting hurt.
7. Husband is staying in back drop because he's a trooper and I'm sure there is so much more going on than we know. And the press conference was her work, not the police.

Beat case scenario, she ventured off the trail and got hurt. My friend (RIP) was an athlete and trained crazy places for the endurance. She could be in mile 18 on a run and talk on the phone and not be out of breath. Hopefully the stamina she has is keeping her alive if she's hurt. And if there are waterfalls/Streams she's getting water from that.

 

[Zuri]

Or being caught in a bad situation.

Its hard to rattle or trip people up when theyre working.Its another thing entirely when people are faced with situations or circumstances theyve never encountered before.

That was kind of my point about being overconfident.

Thank you for clarifying as I didn't understand what you meant.

I worked as an ER RN for years and also went out with the EMTs and paramedics on runs. I have stopped at many a car accident to assist and assess. In the field, paramedics do an entirely different job than I did. Although I had more education and a higher degree of training/accountability, paramedics called the shots in the field and I was happy to defer. The only person that was higher at the scene was an MD and even they deferred most of the time.

A good paramedic is IMO a vital part of the emergency team and needs to be confident in their abilities, otherwise people would die. Because of what they see, I would tend to think they would be more cautious as no one is invincible. However faced with an out of the ordinary scenario, they are just like everyone else IMO and hopefully can rely on some of their training for survival instincts.

This leads me to believe that she was incapacitated nor able to alert anyone to help her. As she has not been found on any of the trails thus far searched, the outcome seems grim.

 

[margarita25]

This Is Our 911 Call': Search for Missing Virginia Firefighter Nicole Mittendorff Continues
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...f-Missing-Virginia-Firefighter-376211721.html

"The family and friends of a missing Fairfax County firefighter held an emotional press conference Tuesday, asking the public for help bringing Nicole Mittendorff home."

Snip

"I'm not sure where you are, but know that we are all looking for you," Steve Mittendorff said.

The search has focused on the area around the White Oak Canyon trail in Madison County. But, so far, nothing has been found.*

Fire officials urged the public to call Virginia State Police if they have any information on Mittendorff's whereabouts.

This is our 911 call to the public," Fairfax County Fire Chief*Richard Bowers Jr. said. "You never know. The smallest thing can help bring Nicole home."

Mittendorff is a career firefighter and paramedic for the Fairfax County Fire Department. Her husband is a Virginia State Police employee, police said."

 

[funjen]

I didn't mean to imply someone carried her 5 miles to a waiting vehicle but there are parts of the trail that come fairly close to Skyline Drive and other parking areas, depending on which route she took. Or carried her a distance into the woods where there is more cover/bushes/tress.

There were people camping near one of the falls when I hiked White Oak Canyon. I didn't investigate the camping area, but it was not large at all.

I checked the SNP website to be sure and it says this: Whiteoak Canyon is a beautiful place, but it is currently receiving extraordinarily high use on weekends. Not only does this make for unpleasantly crowded camping, it damages the natural resource as increasingly large areas are impacted. Intermediate level backcountry campers need to plan your overnight stay on a Monday – Thursday night. Due to the difficulty in finding legal campsites once the pre-existing campsites are occupied, this is an Advanced Level route on weekends (Friday night – Sunday night). Please note that for weekend trips, there are many other beautiful and less crowded options at Shenandoah National Park" https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvi...anyon_Hawksbill_Summit_and_Cedar_Run_E101.pdf So there are some places to camp but I'm pretty sure a permit is required.

 

[margarita25]

New to web sleuths. Here are a few items I've read, confirmed through FB posts and some theories of my own.

1. Last communication with dad on Wednesday 10:50am
2. <modsnip>
3. Didn't show up for work on Friday, but probably already concern before then, and that confirmed it. 24 hours before can file missing persons. 12 I believe if you think they are a danger to themselves, I may be wrong on that part.
4. Someone on FB said they saw her around noon at the park (can't remember which trail) and reported to police and to the family
5. <modsnip>
6. Not opening search to public due to the terrain and fear of others getting hurt.
7. Husband is staying in back drop because he's a trooper and I'm sure there is so much more going on than we know. And the press conference was her work, not the police.

Beat case scenario, she ventured off the trail and got hurt. My friend (RIP) was an athlete and trained crazy places for the endurance. She could be in mile 18 on a run and talk on the phone and not be out of breath. Hopefully the stamina she has is keeping her alive if she's hurt. And if there are waterfalls/Streams she's getting water from that.

Welcome Sunnyin_fl.

:welcome3:

 

[jaragaki]

Nicole's disappearance reminds me of Hillary Sharma. Car was found, and missing for a week before she was found in an area she was known to frequent. I hope the outcome here isn't the same.

 

[winterrose]

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/camping.htm


Campsite at Big Meadows Campground.

There are four campgrounds in Shenandoah National Park.

Mathews Arm (mile 22.1)
Big Meadows (mile 51.2)
Lewis Mountain (mile 57.5)
Loft Mountain (mile 79.5)

Backcountry Camping

Most of Shenandoah National Park, including its wilderness, is open to backcountry camping. A free permit is required for backcountry camping.

 

[Zuri]

The Virginia equine community is aware of Nicole's disappearance. The Warrenton area and environs is big horse country. From the descriptions of the hiking trails, they don't sound too "horse" friendly, especially the rough terrain. Does anyone with familiarity of the park know which areas would be accessible for horses? I can pass the info along for those that want to "help" as in keep an eye out (clarification) via horseback.

 

[grsz11]

The Virginia equine community is aware of Nicole's disappearance. The Warrenton area and environs is big horse country. From the descriptions of the hiking trails, they don't sound too "horse" friendly, especially the rough terrain. Does anyone with familiarity of the park know which areas would be accessible for horses? I can pass the info along for those that want to help via horseback.

Police are specifically asking for people to not come to help, iirc.

 

[tauntaun]

[video=youtube;gaLLxhgnmOw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLLxhgnmOw[/video]

if any of you guys wanted to get an idea of what the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run trail looks like here's a video that could be helpful for you.

 

[Zuri]

Husband appeals for help in finding his wife, missing Virginia firefighter Nicole*Mittendorff
http://wtvr.com/2016/04/19/nicole-mittendorff-missing-firefighter/

"FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. -- Relatives and colleagues of missing Virginia firefighter Nicole Mittendorff are appealing to the public for help in finding her.

"As you can imagine, the pain of not knowing where a loved one is can be unbearable," Mittendorff's husband, Steve, said in tears during a news conference Tuesday at a Fairfax County firehouse."

Snip

"There's "no evidence to indicate that her disappearance is suspicious in nature," Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.

At the news conference Tuesday, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Bowers called for the public's help in locating Mittendorff -- a "motivated and dedicated" firefighter and paramedic for three years who was "respected and well-liked" by her colleagues.

"It has been almost a week and we are saddened that Nicole is not back with us," he said."

Police are specifically asking for people to not come to help, iirc.

IIRC, that has changed, Per this link, however I may be confused.

 

[grsz11]

IIRC, that has changed, Per this link, however I may be confused.

Yeah, I don't think that's what it means. That was her husband and employer, not police. Police have been consistent that they don't want help that could be a liability. It's not like they can do a grid search.

 

[MpRVA]

http://www.powhatanriding.org/Graves_map_color.pdf

Trail riding map near the area.

 

[tauntaun]

IIRC, that has changed, Per this link, however I may be confused.

LE has specifically stated they aren't looking for volunteers. the press conference was them just pleading to the public for prayers and if you saw anything or see anything to call the authorities.

 

[Davia18]

[video=youtube;gaLLxhgnmOw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLLxhgnmOw[/video]

if any of you guys wanted to get an idea of what the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run trail looks like here's a video that could be helpful for you.

Thank you Tauntaun this really helps me.

 

[winterrose]

[video=youtube;gaLLxhgnmOw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLLxhgnmOw[/video]

if any of you guys wanted to get an idea of what the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run trail looks like here's a video that could be helpful for you.

Love it, it's so beautiful, and why people go there to get away from the traffic and stress of NOVA. If this is what she did I understand that, but I would never go alone, and always let someone know where you're going out of your normal activity. I think that guy's crazy for wearing shorts, between snakes and tics, I have pants tucked in boots.

 

[tauntaun]

Thank you Tauntaun this really helps me.

No problem I know not everyone has been lucky enough to be out there and a lot of people are very visual. I'll keep an eye out for any videos that may show more of what the entire trail is like as well but I'm at work right now.

 

[Zuri]

http://wtop.com/virginia/2016/04/se...ge-woman-in-shenandoah-national-park/slide/1/

This link has a sketch of the trails and also pics.