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Search operation set into motion
BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER
 | | Volunteers receive a briefing before heading out into the field to search for Pat Ross McGraw. More than 100 volunteers searched throughout the night and all day for McGraw, who disappeared after going for an afternoon walk Tuesday. She was found in good condition nearly 24 hours after she left her house. (Recorder photo by James Jacenich) |
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MONTEREY - Highland and Bath residents were greatly relieved when friend and neighbor Pat Ross- McGraw was found unharmed this week after she'd been spent 24 hours in the woods of eastern Highland County. But searches don't always end in the missing person being found. The odds of finding a missing person can be increased, however, by taking appropriate action in a timely manner, says Highland Sheriff Herb Lightner.
Highland and Bath have a lot of open land and natural beauty, but the same terrain can turn deadly depending on weather, terrain and the physical condition of those enjoying the out of doors.
A community willing to respond at the first sign of distress makes all the difference to the quality of life and the safety of people who live and visit here, Lightner said.
Lightner said when a person is missing the first thing people want to do is search. But he advised that after exhausting the obvious places the person could be and perhaps riding around local roads, a call to the sheriff's office may be appropriate, especially if the person wasn't where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there, if there are health concerns, and if the person is elderly, disabled or in need of medication they didn't take with them.
A coordinated and methodical search is probably the best way to find a person, he said. Providing rescuers as much detail as possible about the circumstances of the disappearance is essential, said Lightner. Keeping near a phone or central location provides a link between the search effort and resources, a focal point for the collection of information and leads and the efficient communication of changes in the search effort as the situation unfolds. It is also important to keep the search area as undisturbed as possible to aid dogs and human trackers in following a scent or trail.
A well-planned search also means resources must be used most effectively. Searchers are given specifically assigned search areas and search patterns. They are carefully instructed as to what they are looking for and what they should report. And they are required to return to base at completion of their assigned search area to provide the results to the search commander so he or she can evaluate search effectiveness and appropriately assign tasks for the next phase of the search.
It takes time to notify appropriate agencies that assistance is needed and for those resources to get to the where they are needed most. It also takes citizen participation.
Lightner said this week's search could not have been successfully completed without the help of many people, professional searchers as well as volunteers. The profeson sionals are trained in specific search techniques, but civilians can help as well, as long as those in charge of the search effort direct their efforts. Lightner said during any search, volunteers should come to the command post, sign in and await an assignment.
One thing search coordinators don't need in a search effort is for a member of a search party to be put in danger unnecessarily, so efforts are made by coordinators to assign searchers to areas where they can be most effective and safe. Specially trained and equipped rescue personnel, such as the state police dive team, are called in to handle the more dangerous aspects. Similar professionals would be called on if a cave needed to be searched or a missing person was found trapped on a mountain or in severe weather conditions.
While the search was being conducted, the sheriff's office was also considering possible criminal leads. A missing person could have been abducted, for example. Such investigations are conducted discreetly behind the scenes to make sure that all possibilities are considered, said Lightner.
Every time the search radius is expanded, the search area grows proportionately. Even with 200 searchers, it becomes increasingly difficult to cover the hugely expanded search area.
Fortunately, in this situation, the search was successful.
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