In the article you are reading from:
...the official ground search has been suspended, subsequent searches may be conducted.
The official GROUND search has been suspended. That doesn't mean all SAR operations are suspended.
A 4-day search would not be at all unusual, either because their is high risk to searchers (e.g. snow) or conditions are impossible (e.g. fog). They may have decided the search area is too big to continue a ground search. Also, I would guess we're likely looking at recovery, not rescue, at this time, because of on-the-ground conditions and because that is SAR experience with an Alzheimer's patient: once they go missing outdoors, they tend to expire very quickly.
I make it a habit to trust SAR's process. Searches are scientifically-based, according to "lost person behavior" models, and they cannot risk their members' safety. If they could do something, they would.
This is a Silver Alert, not a "missing hiker" posting, even though JA might have gone missing in the woods. Big difference.
LE searches for "Silver Alerts" aren't the same as for non-suffering missing adults in urban environments (or for Amber Alerts, for that matter), either.
Note that the algorithms for searching for a person with Alzheimers are very different than for hikers without. E.g. they are prone to running off, may try to hide, may be unused to monitoring hydration and food needs, are likely prone to wandering and losing orientation, etc. IMO it would be more informative to compare this search with other searches for "silver alerts", than to a search for an able-minded hiker.
Here's a picture of a few ways these searches are different:
The way police conducted their search changed, too. The mindset and the behavior of a dementia patient are different compared with other missing persons. “Alzheimer’s patients can wander up to 10 miles and don’t stop for rest breaks, bathroom breaks, hydration," said Bowers. "They’ll just keep going.”
It’s not clear why they wander. Often they start on a routine task, but at some point they become disoriented and they’re not able to recognize familiar surroundings. Bowers said it’s as if they’re on a mission, and they will keep going until they’re satisfied. Sometimes they’ll go to ground, or hide in areas with thick vegetation or near bodies of water, much like children might do. Often they veer in the direction of their dominant hand.
Memory loss is one of the symptoms of dementia. So is wandering. Over the last five years, at least 10 people in Washington state have died after wandering
www.kuow.org
www.facebook.com
) A dog might bark and alert rescuers.
