Saturday started off with a missing dementia patient, who'd walked away from a home in Junipine Estates. The SAR team was called, but the subject was located by a passerby before searchers arrived. Deputies and one SAR member went to the subject's location to extricate him from the brush where he was sitting, and he was transported to the hospital.
Then there was the call-out for a technical rescue at Mooney Falls on the Havasupai Indian reservation. A DPS helicopter was en route when SAR was called, but it was unknown if high winds would prevent the helicopter from landing or doing a short haul in the canyon. So the technical rescue team headed that way from Flagstaff as quickly as possible, although it's a very long response time for ground SAR to travel that far. Luckily, the helicopter was able to land near the falls, and the patient was loaded without any technical rescue, air or otherwise, necessary. The SAR team made it all the way to the turn-off from Seligman before they were told to turn around.
Waterholes Canyon |
On May 28th, while the rescue in Waterholes Canyon was underway, there was a call about a lost hiker near Ashurst Lake. A Coconino County Sheriff's Office Corporal who is also an assistant SAR coordinator handled the call and conducted a hasty search. The Corporal successfully located the missing hiker.
The next morning, the Sheriff's office received a report of an accident at Willow Springs Lake, where a canoe had overturned. The victim, on shore at the time, tried to assist in a separate boat, which also overturned. From what I heard, the victim had called for help, went under, resurfaced and called again, and then disappeared. A deputy from Forest Lakes and the Forest Lakes Fire Department responded to the scene, and Search and Rescue was requested to assist with the search. Our SAR Coordinator arranged for the Coconino County Sheriff's Office Dive Rescue Team and members of the NPS Glen Canyon Dive Rescue Team to respond, and an underwater search was conducted into Sunday evening. The search was suspended at dark and resumed on the morning of the 30th. The missing subject was located deceased at approximately 4:00 pm on Monday.
Also on Monday at approximately 9:00 pm, the Sheriff's Office received a call of separated hiking parties on the Humphreys Peak Trail. Deputies responded and located both parties.
Read more about these and other incidents the Coconino County Sheriff's Department was involved with over the Memorial Day weekend at FlagScanner.com.