Latest news with #searcheffort
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family and friends of missing paddleboarder continue to seek answers
Jun. 8—More than a thousand hours of searching for missing West Glacier resident Emily Rea has yielded few clues to her whereabouts. Nearly a year after her disappearance, friends and family are organizing more ground search teams, hoping to get federal investigators involved and spreading the news about her far and wide. Rea, 34, was last seen on July 16, 2024. Her last known location is the Hungry Horse Reservoir, where she put her paddleboard in near the Riverside boat launch. Her car was discovered in the parking area there on July 17. Her paddleboard was found upside down in the Flossy Creek area more than 2 miles west of the boat launch with her paddle assembled and stowed. At a rally organized for Rea at Whitefish United Methodist Church on May 31, people wore shirts emblazoned with "never stop praying." An auction was held to raise money for a private investigator. Booths were arranged so people could sign up to volunteer for the search effort. Friends sold plants raised by family in Georgia and potted by Rea's students at the Skola School in Whitefish. Nina Rea, Emily's mother, said they are appreciative of the efforts by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office to locate her daughter. But the unanswered questions raised by the circumstances of Rea's disappearance have prompted friends and family to widen the scope of their search. "We're navigating uncharted waters, so to speak. Where does one find a playbook on what do you do when your child disappears without a trace? We're forging ahead, not knowing where we're going, except the goal of finding Em," Nina Rea said. Relatives believe there are enough anomalies to warrant broadening the search, extending beyond the water of the reservoir and investigating the possibility of foul play. Nina Rea listed the location of Rea's paddleboard, how her paddle was stowed and assembled, and the decision to bring an electric key fob in a non-waterproof bag, as details that give her pause. Known as a competent outdoorswoman, Rea was organized and tidy. Her aunt, Emme Sanders, also had questions about the location of the bag Rea's paddleboard is stored in, which was found stuffed under the board's bungee cords. "She typically always takes care of her things. I don't know if you're a paddleboarder, but most do not take that with them on the water. Emily, in the past, has always left that in her vehicle," Sanders said. During a presentation at last weekend's rally, Rea's family and friends said they are at a turning point with their search. While raising money to hire a private investigator, they want federal help on the case and are hoping volunteers will organize their own search groups. Nina Rea said authorities last summer discouraged them from conducting an independent investigation, worried about it potentially interfering with the search. As a second summer without Rea gets underway, they believe time is of the essence — and they want to leave no stone unturned. MEANWHILE, THE Sheriff's Office is continuing its investigation into Rea's disappearance. County law enforcement worked with multiple agencies last year to locate Rea, an effort that included K-9 units, divers, volunteers, and boat and ground teams. The search also employed sonar, underwater robots, drones and a Two Bear Air helicopter. Sheriff Brian Heino said investigators will again deploy sonar, including side-scan sonar, this summer. Side-scan sonar is used for detecting objects on the floor of a body of water. It is employed, for example, to map shipwrecks. Heino said investigators took the opportunity to search with dogs two weeks ago while the water in the reservoir was still low, at its winter pool. Searching the reservoir comes with challenges, Heino said. Because it's a river valley that was backfilled from the Hungry Horse Dam, there are extreme variations in depth and an underwater landscape of stumps and felled trees on the muddy bottom. "We have all these stumps that are at the bottom that when you're running sonar, you're getting a picture that's not exact," Heino said. Search teams also ran into technical problems with the sonar last summer, issues that have since been fixed. Heino met with Rea's family in early June to discuss the search efforts. He said the Sheriff's Office is sharing maps with them as they plan independent searches, as well as any information they may request going forward. "For closure for the family, we have to consider what their needs are for the processing of this tragedy. If this allows them to do that, we'll give them the information [we've gathered]," Heino said. As for getting federal investigators involved, Heino said the search has already received aid from federal agencies. His team is working with the Department of Homeland Security to access Rea' laptop, he said. "Basically, as we move forward, you have to have valid information. I think a lot of the frustration here is that there's conceptual ideas that things have happened, but you have to have factual information to move forward on it," Heino said. The Sheriff's Office followed up on myriad tips about Rea last summer, including claims by psychics, as news of her disappearance spread. REA WORKED as a speech pathologist, most recently at the nature-based Skola School in Whitefish. She also helped manage a vacation rental in Halfmoon. She is described by those close to her as having a large, giving heart. Her coworker Ashley Thomas-Meager said Rea deserves to have people show up for her, like she would have shown up for people in her life. "She was very reliable, and just like a wonderful person. Her smile could really light up a room. And it was important for me to be here, because people who didn't know her need to know that she's out there and she deserves to be found," Thomas-Meager said. Nina Rea said the rally for Rea made her feel encouraged, because there is a community of people bonded together in support of finding her daughter. Referencing her "never stop praying" shirt, Nina Rea said it is her faith that is giving her strength to move forward. "My life, my health, has been covered by people who say, specifically, 'I want to pray for you.' ... And I want to share that with others for the prayer support. I think otherwise, I'd be a blithering idiot on the floor in front of you, because it's not my strength," Nina Rea said. "We've asked for [prayer] to be at the top of every hour, for anybody who can, because at this point in time, there is not a continent on this Earth where someone is not praying for Emily Rea to be found, and that's astounding to me," she added. Those interested in getting involved in the search for Emily Rea should go to Officials urge anyone with information regarding Rea to contact the Sheriff's Office at 406-752-TIPS. Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or tinman@ Volunteers sold plants to raise funds to hire a private investigator to aid in the search of Emily Rea, a 33-year-old West Glacier resident who went missing in the Hungry Horse Reservoir in July 2024. (Taylor Inman/Daily Inter Lake) Missing persons poster for Emily Rea, a 33-year-old West Glacier resident who went missing last July in the Hungry Horse Reservoir. (photo provided)
ABC News
26-05-2025
- ABC News
Car found in remote WA could be linked to missing prospector Barry Podmore
The discovery of an abandoned vehicle in remote bushland in WA's Wheatbelt has sparked a fresh search effort linked to a 73-year-old prospector missing for almost six months. Barry Podmore, 73, was last seen on December 4 prospecting in Karroun Hill, around 310 kilometres north-east of Perth, and his last-known contact with others a day later. He has not been seen since. However, a WA Police spokesperson said a recently discovered four-wheel drive was a "vehicle of interest." "A ground search of the location, between Paynes Find and Southern Cross, commenced on Monday," the spokesperson said. "A team of police officers from the Emergency Operations Unit and the Wheatbelt District has been deployed to the region to undertake searches in the Karroun area." The ABC understands the vehicle was locked when found, but no further details have been released. Since the initial search effort wrapped up in December, Mr Podmore's family — who say it is out of character for the 73-year-old not to make contact — have made repeated trips to the Karroun area to continue searching. Anyone with information on Mr Podmore's disappearance should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
CBC
06-05-2025
- CBC
What we know about the search for missing N.S. children
The search effort is ongoing for a sister and brother who were reported missing from their home in Nova Scotia's Pictou County on May 2. RCMP say they were called that day to find Lily Sullivan, 6, and Jack Sullivan, 4. The children are believed to have wandered away from their family home on Gairloch Road in Lansdowne Station, N.S., about 20 kilometres southwest of New Glasgow. When were they last seen? According to the children's stepfather, Daniel Martell, Lily and Jack were last seen on Friday morning. The children attend Salt Springs Elementary, but Martell said they were not at school on Friday because Lily had a cough, and they were also home sick from school on Thursday. Martell said that while he and their mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, were in the bedroom with their one-year-old baby, Lily came in and out several times, and Jack could be heard in the kitchen. He thinks the children must have opened the sliding back door, which he said is nearly silent, and went outside. "When we noticed that the children were gone, I immediately jumped in the vehicle, surveyed all the areas, [as] many dirt roads, [as] many culverts as I could and waited for the police to get there," Martell told CBC News on Monday. How are authorities treating the investigation When the children were reported missing on Friday, the RCMP said there was no evidence they had been abducted. Since then, there's been no indication from police that this has changed. But Martell said Tuesday that he now believes the children were taken. He said investigators with the RCMP's major crimes unit spoke with him a few days ago and with members of his family on Monday. "[The RCMP were] taking statements from the very start. They just want to rule everything out before they switch … concerns from being, you know, search and rescue to abduction," he said in an interview Tuesday. When asked on Tuesday if the major crimes unit is involved, an RCMP spokesperson said a "variety of teams" are working on the investigation "in order to provide tools, skills and resources as necessary." Why wasn't an Amber Alert issued? In an interview with CTV News on Saturday, the children's mother said she appreciated the huge search effort, but she wished an Amber Alert had also been issued. "Not just that they could possibly be abducted — which it is a possibility that they could have been — but just an alert to let everyone know that they are missing," she said. Police have said there was no Amber Alert because there is no evidence the children were abducted. A vulnerable persons alert was issued for Pictou County when the children were first reported missing Friday, and an additional alert was issued Saturday evening to Pictou, Antigonish and Colchester counties. The search remains focused on the rural area surrounding the family home, which is heavily wooded, making it difficult for search and rescue teams to comb through. What were the children wearing? When last seen, Martell said, Jack was wearing a pull-up diaper and Lily was wearing a white backpack with red strawberries on it that should be highly visible. The RCMP say Lily has shoulder-length light brown hair and bangs, and may be wearing a pink sweater, pink pants and pink boots. Jack, meanwhile, has short "blondish" hair and blue dinosaur boots. Where are authorities searching? Since Friday, searchers have been scouring the area near the family home. The Nova Scotia Guard — a provincially organized volunteer group — has also been deployed. Overnight Monday, the RCMP said multiple drones equipped with "forward-looking infrared technology" to spot differences in temperature were used to search the area. Meanwhile, roughly 60 specially trained ground search and rescue members were combing the area below. Police dogs have also been assisting in the search. According to Amy Hansen, the search manager for day shifts with Colchester Ground Search and Rescue, 100 to 140 searchers have been used during the day, and 60 to 75 each night. The searchers are using pink ribbons to mark areas that have already been covered off by rescue teams. Thousands of these ribbons now dot tree branches in the area. Police said the search is also informed by statistical data, including insights into the behaviours of people in similar situations. Police and search and rescue teams are asking the public to stay away from the search area to allow trained searchers to do their work. How is the community coping? Five days into the search, an RCMP spokesperson said that search and rescue crews are still committed to bringing Lily and Jack home. "It has been a few days, but that has not dampened the hopes of the [search] teams and the police who are here trying to get these kids home," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Carlie McCann told reporters on Monday afternoon. Robert Parker, the warden for the Municipality of Pictou County, said the mood in the rural region of roughly 43,000 people has been "tense" as the search continues. "Nobody is giving up yet," Parker told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia on Tuesday morning. "These children have almost become everybody's children in this county." He said that while it's human nature to jump to conclusions, the public should be careful about what they're posting on social media. "There's always people who want to say something that's hurtful," he said. "We have to remember kindness."
