JoCoSAR Blog

Search and Rescue Crews Search For Elk Grove Teen

by Kathy Escobar    Hat tip: Ernie Coffman

ELK GROVE—

Search and rescue crews are trying to find a missing Elk Grove teenager that disappeared Friday afternoon.

Police, Fire and volunteers are searching for 15-year-old Shabnam Ahmadyar who has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and functions below her age level.

She was last seen walking away from her residence on Chamberlin Circle, near Millner Way at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Search and rescue crews are concentrating their search along I-5 and Hood Franklin Road, Saturday. The search is focused on the Hood-Franklin area because she was spotted last night in that vicinity.

Inclement weather is hampering search efforts, but search teams will continue to look for Shabnam, utilizing additional resources, some of which include an Air National Guard Helicopter, U.S. Coast Guard boat crew and search dogs from the California Rescue Association.

Shabnam is described as a Middle Eastern female, 5'5", 125 pounds, with black hair in pony tails and she has brown eyes. She was wearing a gray hooded jacket and matching sweat pants.

She didn't have any identification on her when she left her home, and she doesn't have her medication with her, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Shabnam Ahmadyar is asked to contact Elk Grove Police at 916-691-5246.

 

AK: Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Scott Christiansen

[A case] of cabin fever, (a psychotic reaction sparked by the seasonal return of sunlight,) popped up in the news courtesy of Alaska State Troopers. In one, a 22-year-old man from Galena placed a call for help, initially to his father. The father contacted emergency workers, who were able to reach the younger man on his cell phone. A report in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner says the man told dispatchers he was “not alright” and claimed to have shot himself. He even made gurgling and coughing noises over the phone. Worse, he gave his location as 19 miles up a trail between Galena and Huslia. Search parties were called at about 3 a.m. Friday, March 16, and used snowmachines to scour the trail. Troopers eventually found the man at home in Galena, hiding under a bed, a fact that has since pissed off a few search and rescue volunteers. The man was uninjured and now faces charges for filing a false report.

Search Is On in New Mexico for Revered Ultrarunner

By BARRY BEARAK

  Micah True, a mythic figure among extreme-distance runners, went for a 12-mile run Tuesday morning and has yet to return, setting off a search in the Gila Wilderness of southwestern New Mexico.

“We had an initial report that he was seen on Highway 15, heading north, but we have no other clues whatsoever,” said Bob Rodgers, the search and rescue resource officer for the New Mexico State Police. “We thought we had found some of his tracks at one time but that turned out to be someone else.”

Highway 15 leads to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, the ancient homes of the Mogollon people who lived in the area’s steep canyons 700 years ago. It was the type of terrain True favored.

True, 60, was a central character in the best-selling nonfiction book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. He was described as a man who overcame injuries after learning a new way to run from Mexico’s Tarahumara Indians, who are renowned for their running skill over long distances. True excelled at distances of 50 miles or more over steep and rocky trails, commonly running in sandals.

An ultrarunner known as Caballo Blanco, or White Horse, True split his time between Boulder, Colo., and an adobe house near the old Mexican town of Urique. He was the race director of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a 50-mile race along a dirt road and single track trail that ends in Urique’s central plaza.

Early last week, True spent two nights at the Wilderness Lodge in Gila Hot Springs, N.M., said Jane Bruemmer, the co-owner of the inn and a friend of True. “He was with his dog, and he was going to leave soon to visit his girlfriend in Phoenix,” she said.

True left on his Tuesday run at about 10 a.m., dressed in running shorts and a T-shirt, Bruemmer said. “We assume he was running to the cliff dwellings,” she said.

She discounted some early theories for his disappearance. “There’s a slight chance he got lost, but that’s really hard to believe,” she said. “He has run in Gila a lot and knows the trails. There are mountain lions, but I’ve never heard of an attack on a human around here.

“Something physical must have happened to him, though I don’t know what, maybe heart attack. Did he fall and break his leg? We just don’t know.”

The search has involved a state police helicopter and the civilian air patrol in addition to canine teams and mounted patrols, Rodgers said.

This time of year, the weather in the area is warm during the day, but the temperature often drops below freezing at night.

NY: Painter Feared Dead After Fall

By ALISON FOX

A 35-year-old man working on the rehabilitation of the Throgs Neck Bridge plunged into the frigid waters below and was presumed dead Friday after he apparently became detached from his safety harness, officials said.

PJ Smith for The Wall Street Journal

A NYPD search-and-rescue boat attempts to find John Massas.

The worker fell at about 8 a.m. from the platform beneath the roadway on the bridge, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement. Emergency teams from the New York Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard searched the water Friday morning but by afternoon the search was "considered a recovery mission," said the MTA, which owns and operates the bridge.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the man, identified as John Massas, a painter for Long Island-based Nuco Painting Corp., was apparently adjusting or changing his safety harness when he fell. The MTA said the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

A representative of Nuco declined to comment. The contractor for the first phase of bridge rehabilitation, El Sol Contracting & Construction, didn't return a call seeking comment.

John Massas with wife Vanessa, daughters Vanessa, 13, and Jessica, 7, and son John, 5.

In 2007, El Sol was cited after an accident in which a worker fell 70 feet to his death from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. U.S. Department of Labor records show the company paid $4,400 to settle the violations.

Mr. Massas has children aged 13, 7 and 5, his family said. "He was very brave," said his mother-in-law, Carmen Gonzalez. She described him as a doting parent who had been on the Throgs Neck Bridge site for two days. His wife, she said, was "desperate that they find him."

"She hopes that he's alive," Ms. Gonzalez said.

 

Fresno County sheriff's search team looks for missing man near Shaver Lake

source

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office announced Friday night that its search and rescue team was looking for a 49-year-old man who failed to return from a camping trip in the Shaver Lake area.

Brian Matthew Lewis told family that he was going camping, but when he did not return family members called the authorities.

Lewis has brown eyes, brown hair, is 6-foot tall and weighs 200 pounds. His car was found at Shaver Lake and he is said to have camping gear, food, a sleeping bag and a tent with him.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (559) 488-3111.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office flier for missing person Brian Lewis.

JoCoSAR OSSA Academy Raffle Winner

At the noon- break last Sunday, after the group had seen the premier of "So Others Can Live,"  we had a brief auction and had Amanda Cooper draw the winning raffle ticket.  The delighted winner is SR83, Brian O'Connor.  The Stihl "trimmer" (commonly known as a "weed wacker") was kindly donated to SAR for the raffle by Lewis Power Equipment, 1307 Redwood Avenue, Grants Pass, (541) 471-7827.

Somehow it seems fitting that Brian won it.  He did buy a lot of tickets, but, more to the point, he is a regular customer at Lewis Power Equipment and is on a first name basis with the most of the staff there...and has been for years.  

Next time you are in Lewis', be sure to thank them for their support of JoCoSAR.

MT: Search and Rescue is prepared to answer the call

By Drew Steele

Earlier this week the Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue was called out twice within 24-hours to help in a time of crisis.

And with summer just around the corner it's important to remember how quickly an innocent outing can become an emergency. Beartooth NBC's Drew Steele visits with Search and Rescue to explore the inner workings of the team and find out how to stay safe.

For more than 53 years, members of Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue have been putting their lives on the line to save those in need. And with a team of 65 it's not hard to find those willing to help when called.

Search and Rescue Management Team Chair, Mark Adams said, "Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer organization. We have computer programmers, we have bankers and we have all walks of life that volunteer their time to Search and Rescue."

The Search and Rescue Team dedicates countless hours when the time arises to help find those lost in Montana’s vast landscape.

Adams stated, "The nature of Search and Rescue has been changing. A lot of times people have GPS's, they have a cell phone. It's a lot more of rescue and specialty rescue than it used to be."

The team may spend more time now rescuing than actual searching, but with a diverse array of talents available there are skilled members at hand that fit the mission.

Deputy Alan Hughes, liaison officer, said, "It's amazing almost anything that a human can get in trouble with here in Montana they've got a team that can pretty much handle that."

The Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue responds to roughly 25 or 30 missions a year and over the past 48 hours the use of certain equipment like the boat has come in handy. And with spring in the air it's important to remember certain safety tips that will help keep you safe."

SAR Board of Directors President Jim Sheppard said, "Please let somebody know where you're going it makes it so much easier if something does happen. Be prepared for the weather so take not just your warm seasonal stuff, that's always a good thing to do."

With an increase in warmer weather there's also an increase in outdoor activity. Members of the Lewis and Clark Search and Rescue say preparing a plan before embarking on any outdoor adventure will keep you from getting lost in Big Sky Country.

Adams says they meet on the third Thursday of each month for any individuals interested in joining the team. He says it's as simple as finding an area of interest, pairing up with a mentor and getting involved.

 

NV: Stranded man survives 10 days on snow; friend dies

By MICHELLE RINDELS   Hat tip: Ernie Coffman

LAS VEGAS — A 76-year-old diabetic Colorado man survived 10 days in the remote Nevada desert by melting snow and using skills he learned as a Boy Scout, but a friend who was with him and ventured away to get help died.

James Klemovich and Laszlo Szabo, 75, went to scope out some mines in the state when their car became stuck on a lonely road with no cell phone service, Klemovich's wife, Joanne, said Thursday.

The men tried unsuccessfully to dislodge the car, and lit flares and started fires in hopes somebody would see them in northwestern Nevada's Pershing County, an area where less than 7,000 people are spread over 6,000 square miles.

They used a towel in the car to strain ditch water and snow into water bottles, but, after four or five days, Szabo left to get help. Joanne Klemovich began to worry when several days passed without a phone call from her husband.

"I figured maybe they'd had an accident and they were stranded," she said. "I thought maybe they were in a mine shaft. All kinds of things were going through my head."

Joanne Klemovich said she was expecting the worst when authorities called Tuesday night to say her husband had been found by military personnel who were holding training exercises in the area.

"I thought it was bad news, but it was very good news," she said by telephone from the couple's home in Littleton, Colo. "I didn't know what to even do or say."

James Klemovich has diabetes, wears a pacemaker and had a triple bypass heart surgery, his wife said.

He told her he wasn't panicking while he sat for days waiting for Szabo's return, she said. He kept a journal, noting how much water he drank and what he did each day. And he wrote a letter each day for her.

Drinking regularly was likely the biggest factor in his survival despite the diabetes that could have sent his blood sugar dangerously out of whack, according to Rita Kalyani, who teaches endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

During a fast, she said, the body can draw glucose from the liver or from fat stores to keep levels from dropping too low. But having enough water is essential to flush out excess glucose and prevent levels from rising too high.

When the military personnel found Klemovich, they gave him a banana, two oranges and three boiled eggs, he told his wife.

Szabo, of Lovelock, Nev., was found dead about a mile and a half away. An autopsy is being performed.

Klemovich said her husband hasn't been talking much about his friend and that she doesn't know whether Szabo has any close relatives.

"When I first talked to him I could tell he'd been through an ordeal," she said. "When he called back, he sounded pretty good."

James Klemovich is still in Nevada, waiting for the car to be recovered before returning home. He was treated and released from a hospital.

Joanne Klemovich said she knows the first words she'll say to her husband of 48 years as of Wednesday: "Happy belated anniversary."

 

CA: 3,500 Man Hours and 600 Tips for Sierra LaMar

By Erika Heidecker and Laura Dixon

Sheriff's detectives collected suspicious items Thursday afternoon found near the home of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar of Morgan Hill, who has been missing for nearly two weeks.

Volunteers who were searching the area near Sierra's home found an empty box with a label that read "stainless steel handcuffs" and a couple of used condoms a couple of feet away, Santa Clara County sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.

The items were found at the end of Palm Avenue, about a mile from LaMar's home, in an area that is known to deputies as a place where young people often congregate, Cardoza said.

Cardoza said it was not known if the items were connected to LaMar's disappearance and that volunteers and deputies have searched that area multiple times since her disappearance and the box and condoms were not spotted.

The items were collected and taken to a crime lab for further testing, Cardoza said.

Hundreds of volunteers have been scouring the area surrounding LaMar's home this week after sheriff's officials re-classified the case as an abduction and announced that authorities had all but ruled out the possibility that the Ann Sobrato High School sophomore had run away.

Sheriff's dive teams with specially trained rescue K-9s took to the area's waterways to search for human remains and hundreds of volunteers have been participating in search efforts organized by The KlaasKids Foundation.

Founded by Mark Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter Polly Klaas was kidnapped from her Petaluma home in 1993, the organization is managing the volunteers and deploying its own search and rescue resources to help find Sierra.

Personnel from the sheriff's office, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and other agencies have dedicated more than 3,500 hours to the
case, according to Cardoza.

Detectives continue to investigate more than 600 tips related to the case sent to the sheriff's office via phone or email, he said.

Sierra left home for school the morning of March 16 but never showed up for classes, police said.

Investigators later found Sierra's cellphone off of a roadway near her home around Dougherty and Palm avenues as well as her black, Juicy brand purse, which contained a folded pair of pants and a T-shirt belonging to the teen.

The teen's classmates at Ann Sobrato High School have established a reward fund for Sierra's safe return and placed a donation box in the school's front office.

Checks can be made payable to Ann Sobrato High School ASB and mailed or dropped off at the school, located at 401 Burnett Avenue. The KlaasKids Foundation has also established a fund to help in the search. To contribute to the fund a link is available at Facebook.com/find.sierra.lamar or contributions can be made directly to the Sierra LaMar Fund at any Chase bank.

Donations of food, water bottles, office supplies or money are also welcome, according to KlaasKids.

Those interested in volunteering in the search-and-rescue efforts are asked to register at Burnett Elementary School located 85 Tilton Ave.
between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. through April 1. Volunteers must be over 18 years old and bring a photo ID.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call sheriff's investigators at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.

Tips can also be emailed to tips@sheriff.sccgov.org.

 

Here it is! "So Others May Live"