CA CA - Bryce Laspisa, 19, Castaic, 30 Aug 2013 - #5

[LinasK]

Ha! Thanks yes I am a local born and raised in this town. When it was onion fields.

I grew up in Granada Hills.

 

[AmandaFast]

Starting to understand this better now but I still wonder about how the 15ft or so ledge by MR rd in the pics seems to have some crushed brush and drag marks in the dirt. Must be from another source or part of search.

Show me this pic or pics again if you would? I never really thought to look, but I want to make sure that it's actually MR rd not LH Rd.

 

[Trackergd]

Maybe you can help virtually? Give us an idea based on your expertise what we should do, how we should look at it etc?

The place where the SUV ended up is the LKP (Last Known Place). Get on your hands and knees and put your ear on the ground and close the upper eye and leave the bottom one open. Do this for a number of spots and see if you can see weathered depressions in the ground (at this point they may look round) and going in a line. If you see a line, close the lower eye and open the top one and see how far out you can see the prints going and pick a reference point. Go to that point and try to pick up the line again. And so on....

Failing that, start at the LKP and walk in an ever larger circle around the LKP. At some point you will get outside the area of total destruction from everyone tromping around and you might pick up a line of print marks moving away from the LKP.

Check the shoulders of Lake Hughes Road and the shoulders of Main ramp road on both sides in both directions.

 

[AmandaFast]

The place where the SUV ended up is the LKP (Last Known Place). Get on your hands and knees and put your ear on the ground and close the upper eye and leave the bottom one open. Do this for a number of spots and see if you can see weathered depressions in the ground (at this point they may look round) and going in a line. If you see a line, close the lower eye and open the top one and see how far out you can see the prints going and pick a reference point. Go to that point and try to pick up the line again. And so on....

Failing that, start at the LKP and walk in an ever larger circle around the LKP. At some point you will get outside the area of total destruction from everyone tromping around and you might pick up a line of print marks moving away from the LKP.

Check the shoulders of Lake Hughes Road and the shoulders of Main ramp road on both sides in both directions.

This is amazing!!! I will print this out and take it with me. If you think of anything else to do when I'm there please let me know!

 

[geevee]

Actually we keep saying it doesn't matter where it happened, and such and such , and I just realized something HUGE.

Me along with quite a few people, were searching near MR Rd. NOT Lake Hughes rd. I think I need to go back and search Lake Hughes Rd, arggggg.

Maybe the reason I couldn't find any debris was because we were searching the wrong spot, not because of the amazing clean up job!!

Any possibility of taking and posting pics after your search?

 

[kevsrebla]

Same Pic

Approximately landed here instead on MR Rd

 

[AmandaFast]

My first impression was that his car was near the water when it stopped or landed or whatever. Yet, not one picture shows the lake or how close the water is. I think I read in one report it was 100' away. Is this correct? tia

You can't get to it without climbing down some serious mountains, and without hiking experience, or equipment, I'm not sure it's possible. I personally couldn't do it. I brainstormed with RK on this, and you'd have to walk down to the actual launch to get to the water, without being hurt, and that's minimum 300 yards away, possibly further. When you're standing on the tower, it doesn't look far at all, probably 100 yards (not feet) away, if you were actually able to walk it.

 

[Trackergd]

Same Pic

Approximately landed here instead on MR Rd

View attachment 37930

If it laded where the arrow is pointing, I don't see how anyone on either road would have seen it until daylight.

 

[AmandaFast]

Same Pic

Approximately landed here instead on MR Rd

View attachment 37930

I meant the crushed brush you saw, that picture.

 

[kevsrebla]

@Amanda

This pic?

 

[AmandaFast]

If it laded where the arrow is pointing, I don't see how anyone on either road would have seen it until daylight.

You go basically in circles almost from the bottom of a hill (lower lagoon), to the upper hill (Castaic Lake) on the road. So as you are going higher and higher, it's pretty easy to see below you. It isn't as dark as you think it would be because of how dangerous that road is, it's a pretty well lit area. Also, if his lights were still on, on his car, that would definitely be something that would catch someone's eyes.

ETA: I remember them saying it was a maintenance worker actually, so they would have been right by it.

 

[AmandaFast]

@Amanda

This pic?View attachment 37931

That's the pic I saw before, but I don't see any brush or anything there?

 

[AmandaFast]

Any possibility of taking and posting pics after your search?

I wont be able to do it today, hopefully tomorrow, but absolutely will

 

[Trackergd]

This is amazing!!! I will print this out and take it with me. If you think of anything else to do when I'm there please let me know!

If all that fails (and now I am telling tricks of the trade) wait until almost dark, put a flashlight flat on the ground and turn it in a circle. At some point the light shining along the ground should pick up weathered depressions, and at this point they may be very shallow, but will go in a line. Mark each one as far as you can safely go, then wait until daylight. Take a pole about 1" in diameter and put one end on one mark and lay the stick down and make a mark where it hits the next print. Now you have stride. If you cannot find the next track, put the mark in the last one and move the tip around and you should find sign of the next track.

If you can get a worn pair of Bryce's shoes (flat bottom sneakers like Van's or something like that) take as close a picture of them as you can so I can see the wear patterns, PM me and I will give you an email address to send them to so I can read them and tell you what to look for.

Also find out if Bryce was left or right handed. 95% of the time Left handed people wander to the left and right handed people wander to the right. Too long to explain why.

I will keep thinking of things to post. Also look for push downs in vegetation. The direction of the push down is the direction of travel...

Sheesh..how to put 48 years of doing this into a few sets of instructions....

 

[Trackergd]

You go basically in circles almost from the bottom of a hill (lower lagoon), to the upper hill (Castaic Lake) on the road. So as you are going higher and higher, it's pretty easy to see below you. It isn't as dark as you think it would be because of how dangerous that road is, it's a pretty well lit area. Also, if his lights were still on, on his car, that would definitely be something that would catch someone's eyes.

OK...that makes sense.

 

[AmandaFast]

OK...that makes sense.

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com//2013/05/15/1/13tocstg326_670.jpg

This is an idea of the actual terrain, circles, wasn't a good description, so I think showing it is better!

 

[Trackergd]

http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com//2013/05/15/1/13tocstg326_670.jpg

This is an idea of the actual terrain, circles, wasn't a good description, so I think showing it is better!

That makes it clear. Now I really wish I could come out. The last place I tracked in those conditions was in Texas about 36 years ago.....

 

[BluePoppy]

Same Pic

Approximately landed here instead on MR Rd

View attachment 37930

Except it was confirmed he drove/rolled off the top from the fence side one around to the left counter clockwise from the spot marked here.

 

[AmandaFast]

That makes it clear. Now I really wish I could come out. The last place I tracked in those conditions was in Texas about 36 years ago.....

Where are you located? If we got enough donations for your flight, could you make time to do this?

 

[mck16]

You can't get to it without climbing down some serious mountains, and without hiking experience, or equipment, I'm not sure it's possible. I personally couldn't do it. I brainstormed with RK on this, and you'd have to walk down to the actual launch to get to the water, without being hurt, and that's minimum 300 yards away, possibly further. When you're standing on the tower, it doesn't look far at all, probably 100 yards (not feet) away, if you were actually able to walk it.

But didn't the dogs track him to the water's edge. Or do I have my facts wrong? tia