| Copyright 2015 linkinglewiscounty.com all rights reserved privacy policy here |
| Agencies Say No Signs of Missing Lewis County Man Found Yet By: Nick Altmire (nick@linkinglewiscounty.com) 06/22/17 04:00pm |
Google Suggested Content:
| Lewis County's 24/7 Home for News, Sports, Weather, Events & More |
its ninth day today, led by family members and volunteers. Mr. McCall's last known location was on the Tidd Road, near the State Route 812 intersection, around 4 AM on Tuesday, June 13th. Law enforcement agencies were involved in a full-scale search most of last week, which was scaled back over the weekend. We spoke with Lewis County Undersheriff Jim Monnat and Lieutenant Joel Nowalk, with the NYS Forest Rangers, today for an update on the status of search activities. "We are actively following any leads as they come in," Undersheriff Monnat said, stating his agency is no longer involved in the day-to-day ground search. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office is the lead agency on the case, and the department is devoting resources as leads are received. The department oversaw the ground search efforts, starting last Tuesday, through Friday afternoon. A command center had been set up at the Tidd Road/Route 812 intersection during that time, and approximately 25 law enforcement personnel were involved in a grid search of the area. The Sheriff's Office was assisted by NYS DEC, NYS Forest Rangers, NYS Police, search dogs, and a NYS Police helicopter. Agencies also checked local camps in the area for any sign of Mr. McCall. Lt. Nowalk said that five Forest Rangers assisted in the search efforts last week, and that was scaled back to two over the weekend. He explained that the case is still open, but rangers are no longer coordinating search efforts. As resources allow, they are still sending units out to help, but are not there on a daily basis this week. Four Forest Rangers brought out two department drones today to assist in the search, Lt. Nowalk said. They covered both sides of the Tidd Road area, as well as both sides of Route 812 in the area. Both Undersheriff Monnat and Lt. Nowalk said there have been no signs at all of Mr. McCall during their search efforts. Lt. Nowalk, who has been involved in many search efforts, said this one is a little unique in the fact that they really don't have a concrete area to concentrate the search on. Most efforts have been put into Mr. McCall's last known location, where he separated from his female companion. The female told authorities that she last saw Mr. McCall travelling west on the Tidd Road. As new leads develop, or if any signs turn up indicating Mr. McCall was in a specific location, full-scale search efforts could resume, Lt. Nowalk said. "You fall asleep at night thinking about it, wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it, it's just hard to pinpoint what may have happened," Lt. Nowalk said. The family, with the help of volunteers, has continued the search this week, assisted by two volunteers from Poconos Search & Rescue. The family could use a lot more volunteers, especially anyone with experience- including volunteer firefighters and other first responders. The family has been using the Tidd Road/Route 812 site as a meeting location for volunteers to organize at 10 AM each morning, Valerie McCall- Mr. McCall's mother, told us. Anyone who may have seen Mr. McCall in the early hours of June 13th, or who may have any information on his whereabouts, is asked to call the Lewis County Sheriff's Office at 315-376-3511. Any siting after 4 AM, or if you may have given him a ride or let him use your phone, would be valuable information for agencies to help narrow down the search area. |
| Be Safe this Graduation Season! PSA from Visual Communications Students at Howard G. Sackett Technical Center |
Areas where grid searches have been performed outlined in red
