Found Deceased AK - LaVerne, 64, & Van Pettigen, 66, missing snowmachiners, Big Lake, 16 Dec 2018

[cybervampira]

2 snowmachiners missing for days near Big Lake

Alaska State Troopers and Alaska National Guardsmen are conducting a search for two snowmachiners missing in the Big Lake area since last weekend.

Family members identified the missing riders as LaVerne and Van Pettigen in a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, adding that they were last heard from just before 11 a.m. Sunday. They were reportedly riding "a 2000 Black Polaris 500 and a 2014 Yamaha Dark Blue Vector."

According to daughter LaTisha Wilkinson, LaVerne is Alaska-born and raised, while Van moved to Alaska in the 1970s because of the military.

LaTisha said her parents have a condo in Big Lake and are both experienced snowmachiners. Their last phone message, at 10:53 a.m., was a response from LaVerne to someone interested in viewing an Anchorage property.

The couple had been scheduled to arrive in Tennessee at 9 a.m. Tuesday to spend the holidays with family, but a friend went to their Muldoon home and found that their snowmachines weren’t in their garage.

Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain confirmed that the search was still in progress Tuesday evening, saying the Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson had launched a helicopter just before 5 p.m. to look for the Pettigens.

Dave Bedard, a spokesman for the Guard's 176th Wing, said Guardsmen were assisting troopers leading the overnight search.

 

[MsFacetious]

How were they to get to Tennessee? I'm presuming a flight was missed and not checked in for online?

I'm impressed with the initial post by the family. Description of their gear would also be very good. Hopefully it's still pink and blue like in the pictures, though it wouldn't be weird if they had multiple sets. It sounds like people saw her wearing the pink coat Sunday. Unfortunately it sounds like it was on the lake.

They are experienced and I like that I see helmets. That's very good, you don't always with people who use snowmobiles as vehicles regularly. I'm also optimistic that part of Big Lake would hold snowmobiles even though it won't hold vehicles. There's a 3-8 inch difference in ice thickness between the two.

Also, experienced snowmobilers have been known to make it across even when the ice breaks. You won't sink if you keep up your speed. My sister actually did it once. *shudder* However, more importantly experienced snowmobilers HOPEFULLY won't go ON thin ice in the first place.

I wonder if the dozens of earthquakes in Big Lake would have impacted the ice at all? Strange thought but I've never really given it any thought before. Would that crack it and delay it freezing at all?

That 2000 Polaris 500 is the exact same sled, color and all as I have sitting in my garage right now. That is extremely unnerving. This is my worst nightmare.

 

[cybervampira]

Big Lake Trails, Inc.

Urgent call to volunteers****
There are a couple of local Big Lake residents who are currently missing. They were last seen and heard from Friday on what was supposed to be a quick trail ride.

We are putting together a group of volunteers on snowmachines who would be willing to search the trail system for these folks. If you are available at 10 AM tomorrow morning, 12/19, we could sure use the help. Anyone interested in helping can message me for directions to my house or you could simply meet us at the land bridge between Big Lake and Mud Lake. If we have enough volunteers, we should be able to cover the entire trail system before nightfall.

 

[MsFacetious]

I know I'm rambling to myself here, feel free to skip over it here. Since we are a snowmobiling family I always analyze the crap out of these.

Some headlines are saying overdue since Friday which is NOT true.

One daughter talked to them Friday and they were indeed going out for a ride.
Family texts went unanswered Saturday.

However, Laverne did leave a message for a potential client about 11am Sunday. This was the last known contact. I don't think there's any chance she did this after spending almost 48 hours stranded out there. So they clearly made it home Friday.
Family texts went unanswered Sunday but no time was given, so we don't know if it was before or after the voicemail.

I don't know if Laverne may have had a work phone and personal phone. My dad is the same age, also owns his own business and he does have the 2 phones. There are times when his personal one dies and I have to text his work number. This could explain making the work call but not answering the daughter. Then again my Uncle does not have 2 phones and he also owns his own business.

So the point here is, we don't actually know for sure how long they've been missing. I think we can safely assume at least 48 hours since they missed a flight to see their daughter Monday but no time was given. It's now after midnight in Alaska so it's definitely been a minimum of 48 hours. Which is terrifying. It's barely been in double digits during the day. I hope that they were VERY warmly dressed. I know if you just go out for a quick ride it can be tempting to not put ALL of your gear on.

I am just not sure why they would have gone onto the lake to begin with. It looks like the reports were out there that the ice was not as thick as normal, that it was also compromised from the earthquake, that everyone should stay off of it. Both in the news and in the facebook groups.

The only thing I can think of is if maybe they were late to their Sunday appointment or thought they were going to be late to their flight and took the lake as a shortcut? We have no evidence they went into the lake, it seems most likely but then I am not convinced her phone would have pinged Tuesday morning from underwater either. So I don't know.

Mat-Su Borough officials advise extreme caution on area lakes following weekend rescue operation

"The bottom line is right now, the lakes are not frozen as they normally would be," Barkley said. "The channels we're aware of are not thick enough for any transportation vehicle, and there are other areas of the lake that usually aren't an issue that are an issue because of the earthquake."

 

[doodles1211]

Did they ride the snowmobiles to the property showing? I wouldn't imagine both machines would breakdown at the same time.
Is she actually the one that left the message about seeing the property? Or, was it a text message?

 

[MsFacetious]

Did they ride the snowmobiles to the property showing? I wouldn't imagine both machines would breakdown at the same time.
Is she actually the one that left the message about seeing the property? Or, was it a text message?

The daughter said it was a "voice message" that her mother had left about a property she had just listed. She listed several that week. I don't know if that appointment on Sunday was to show the property or if it was something completely different, that detail has not been shared that I've seen.

It would be very unlikely that both machines would break down at the same time. Her is 14 years newer than his. Even still, his is a very solid and reliable machine. The only issues we've had with our 1998-2002 Polaris fleet have been crash inflicted.

I am really not sure what to think here.

 

[doodles1211]

I lived in MN my whole life. You rarely hear about two going through the ice.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Big Lake Trails Inc., a non-profit trail advocacy group, is planning a volunteer search Wednesday morning. In a Facebook post Tuesday night, organizers asked for any volunteers with snow machines to meet at 10 a.m. on the land bridge between Mud Lake and Big Lake.

Search underway for missing Big Lake snow machiners

Urgent call to volunteers****
There are a couple of local Big Lake residents who are currently missing. They were last seen and heard from Friday on what was supposed to be a quick trail ride.

We are putting together a group of volunteers on snowmachines who would be willing to search the trail system for these folks. If you are available at 10 AM tomorrow morning, 12/19, we could sure use the help. Anyone interested in helping can message me for directions to my house or you could simply meet us at the land bridge between Big Lake and Mud Lake. If we have enough volunteers, we should be able to cover the entire trail system before nightfall.

 

[tiffkinsadder]

When I read about showing real estate I immediately got concerned, Prayers going out to them.

 

[loveisthemovement]

I had a past experience where 2 machines went through the ice. Two of the three people riding the sleds (2 on one sled, one on the other) did not make it. One managed to crawl out and walk to a nearby cottage for help. So it's possible.

 

[KNinTX]

Sending up positive thoughts that this family will be reunited in time for Christmas. Their loved ones must be worried sick.

 

[moonriverfarm]

Are the snowmobiles missing as well? If so they had to have used them Sunday after this voice mail was left.

 

[cybervampira]

Are the snowmobiles missing as well? If so they had to have used them Sunday after this voice mail was left.

Yes. The snowmobiles were not in the garage.

 

[MsFacetious]

I lived in MN my whole life. You rarely hear about two going through the ice.

I'm struggling to believe that both could have gone in the ice as well. I know it has happened and it's certainly possible, especially with the unusual conditions this year.

It's just that when you've been riding that long it becomes instinct. My sister was a kid when the ice started breaking on her. Even then instinct took over and she accelerated until she was off the lake, leaving open water behind her. (Yes, that's as terrifying to watch as it sounds.)

I'm also wondering if the phone would have still been able to be pinged after 2 days underwater? However there was one case of a lady who's waterproof iphone 8 plus saved her after a shipwreck when she used it to call for help.

So there is just too many unknowns to really figure anything out.

The best outcome we can hope for is that they ran out of gas/broke down near a cabin out of cell phone range. It would be a Christmas miracle.
The next best would be if they ran out of gas or crashed and got injured. Though, staying warm this long would be a real challenge.
I think the only other way they are alive is if it's a hostage situation.

There just isn't any good options here and I hate it.

Yes. The snowmobiles were not in the garage.

When I read about showing real estate I immediately got concerned, Prayers going out to them.

What we do not know is whether they would have ridden them to show real estate or whether that was the appointment they had Sunday.

Obviously they know who the message was left for but they are still searching out on the trails. I don't believe LE would be allowing citizens to believe they are lost out there and risk their lives searching if they had proof of foul play.

Alaska has some truly horrifying crime cases in it's history. There is no question about that. This just isn't quite feeling like that to me. Then again, some of the prior ones have literally been "hunted" and shot while riding their snowmobiles. So in a place as vast as Alaska, truly anything is possible.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Neighbors found personal items inside the couple's Big Lake condo and their two cars outside. Their snowmobiles were gone.

still searching: Search continues for couple on snowmobiles missing in Mat-Su

 

[MsFacetious]

Air support and snowmobiles are what are being used the most, when people ask if anything else is needed.
A flyover of the lake HAS been done. No word on results.
There was rumor last night of the remote cabin discovery I am hoping for, but it never did pan out unfortunately.

 

[cybervampira]

Dozens of snow machiners search for missing couple in Big Lake

It’s day two of an ongoing search for a missing couple, last believed to have been snow machining in the Big Lake area on Sunday morning.

The Alaska State Troopers, the Rescue Coordination Center, and several volunteer groups are now combing the area in search of Laverne and Van Pettigen, ages 64 and 66.

[...]

According to Alaska State Trooper Lt. Paul Fussey, the current search area is wide because the direction the two were traveling is not known. At this stage, searchers are looking for any signs that the couple passed through specific areas, which would significantly narrow the scope of search operations.

One searcher told Channel 2 the snow machiners were heading out in groups of more than two dozen to hit specific mainline trails, before breaking off into smaller groups from there. Trails and lakes had lots of overflow — when lake or swamp water gets on top of the ice — and muddy spots, he said.

This is a developing story.

 

[MsFacetious]

This link has been updated with some information on the search as well as a video from a few hours ago. I cannot link directly to the video so here's this instead.

Search continues for 2 snowmachiners missing for days near Big Lake

 

[MsFacetious]

According to the couple's daughter LaTisha Wilkinson, the Alaska Air National Guard said the last cell signal picked up was Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and teams were searching the area from which the signal came.

Search continues for 2 snowmachiners missing for days near Big Lake

It sounds like they may have flown the military plane over to ping the phone? Like they did in the pacific northwest? I'd prefer to believe it was an actual ping because I really don't think they ping under water... and generally you carry your phone attached to you or your sled. I know chances are slim but I'm so hoping...

 

[cybervampira]

KTVA's Daniella Rivera is at a staging area in Big Lake meeting with the Mat-Su search and rescue team looking for LaVerne and Van Pettigen, who have been missing since Sunday. Search continues for 2 snowmachiners missing for days near Big Lake

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=747078098990464