I hope this post will help someone find a missing person.

Missing Person Report for Ryan & Viola

Missing person report, the first step to finding those that are lost

My nephew, Sam, filed a missing person report with the Fremont police for his brother and my nephew, Ryan, his  girlfriend, Viola and their three dogs on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 6:00 a.m. They were supposed to report to work on Tuesday and did not return as scheduled. They told us they were going on a short, car camping trip, but unfortunately did not tell us their destination.

We waited 24 hours to file the report because we thought they may have decided to take an extra day in the mountains. We should have filed immediately.

It’s all about waiting

Once the report was filed, we waited for the police to find a lead. They pinged their cell phones, searched for credit card use, reviewed his bank account and found nothing. By Wednesday night, Ginny, his mother and my sister was frantic. She decided to search for and book the first flight out of Seattle to the  Bay area for the following morning. We needed to search for them together.  In the meantime, his father recalled, Ryan mentioned the Sierra’s as a possible destination.

All We Needed Was a Lead

On Thursday morning, the police searched his apartment, interviewed his roommates and still,  no leads.  In the afternoon, we asked the police to issue a release to the media requesting help, but they told us it needed to be approved through a tedious, bureaucratic process and took a few days.  In the meantime, my sister, Serena in Washington, organized her sons and 20 of Ryan’s friends  and relatives to call every police and sheriff’s department between Fremont and Reno to ask for help in our search. We didn’t want our missing persons’ reports stuck in someone’s in-basket while Ryan & Viola were stuck in a snowstorm.

Early Thursday evening, my sister, Ginny, my nephew, Sam, Viola’s brother and I decided to search his home ourselves. We feared the police may have overlooked something because well, due process and all that. We had no such restrictions. and we needed  a lead.

When Search is Emotional

The Offline Search goes Online

Once we arrived at his home, we reviewed his computer’s Google search history hoping to find a specific campground he may have searched for, we searched his emails for any notes about his whereabouts and tore his room apart for clues. We found a calendar of  Viola’s indicating they were to return on Monday–now, more than ever we were  scared for their lives.  We even tried to search through his garbage, but it was removed the day before.  As we left his home, his roommate suggested we look in a small basket of receipts. We found one receipt with Viola’s credit card number.  We called the police with that bit of  information and dejected, we departed.  As we drove home, we mulled over one detective’s  earlier statement to us about needing a lead. We decided it was his way of telling us to skip the bureaucracy and call the media ourselves. (Thanks, Detective, to remain unnamed.)

Bring on the Media–Traditional and Social

Late Thursday evening and into Friday morning, with Ryan’s family’s permission,  I called three radio news stations.  KCBS’s,  Larry Chiaroini, the nighttime news editor and anchor answered my call,  asked for an email with the facts, but cautioned me he couldn’t run the story without police verification. After receiving my email and a scan of the missing persons’ reports, he decided to report it. I think he heard the fear in my voice. As I fell asleep, little did I know, we only needed his brief report to get the media on our side. (Thanks, Larry.)

Facebook aided our search efforts

At 6:00 a.m. Friday, my sisters and I awoke and texted each other, “Are you awake?”  No one had slept. My nephew was  missing for six days during one of the most brutal storms of the year, the rain pounded against our windows during the night.  The snow level fell to 2,000 feet and another equally strong storm front was moving in right behind it.  No break. I watched the morning weather report with a heavy heart and gazed at the hourly online report every minute.

My sister, Serena picked up the media theme and contacted media in Washington and a friendly freelance reporter she knew helped us reach papers in Sacramento and San Francisco.  She also got the band of Ryan’s friends to begin asking for help on Facebook, they even created a Facebook event to help people communicate with one another. Most important, they posted my cell phone on it. This immediately expanded our friends and family reach, offers of help came pouring into our accounts.

Searching for Ryan using Twitter

I posted on Twitter. Facebook was better. Twitter was too ephemeral for this task.

My husband revised my poorly written email from the night before and sent it to all the TV stations he found online. I was a bit of an emotional mess. Aubrey, Ryan’s sister-in-law found photos to send to the media. Our diligence worked (thank goodness for Aubrey & Rich’s clear heads during this time.)

At 9:00 a.m. three TV stations called to say they were going to cover the story and help us. Immense relief and overwhelming hope was felt. I especially want to mention Karena Rusk, a reporter for KGO-TV in the South Bay, she was the first reporter I spoke with that morning and after we decided on logistics for the interview, she stopped being a reporter. She took a moment to tell me we were doing the right thing by mobilizing the family and using the media to put pressure on the police (actually, we didn’t intend that, we just wanted a lead). She had seen this type of effort work before. Her encouragement meant so much to us, her word echoed in my head. Her cameramen, too, took the time after the interview to encourage us. Very cool.

Search result for my missing nephew and his girlfriend

We met with two stations on Friday at noon in Ryan’s home. I spent the morning acting as  a PR person, coaching my sister and nephew: tell the viewers we just needed a lead, don’t cry, be positive. Five minutes before we went on air, my daughter’s school called and told me they found her crying in the bathroom, scared for Ryan.  I promptly began the “ugly cry.”  This was personal.

During the interviews, the media said “did you know the police traced Viola’s credit card to a gas station in Upper Lake, Mendocino.” The police never told us this  fact. We frantically called the police for the gas station’s address and promptly looked up its location online. It was the last station on a  country road leading directly into the national park.  We decided they were in that  national forest. The 20 something brigade and I now started calling the police and sheriff stations between Fremont and Mendocino, his mom and brother continued to take media calls. We looked up the route on MapQuest and Google Maps and found both sites gave identical routes from Fremont. We decided to search the route the next day. At this point we also lost our faith in  police communication and put the responsibility to find them on ourselves. We began to work closely with every reporter and seek every opportunity ourselves.

Traditional and Social Media deliver the wisdom of the crowds

On Saturday, my husband left to search for their red truck  along the route we found and to distribute missing persons’  flyers as he drove. He also wanted to scope out the area because we were going to launch a search and rescue with friends and family on Sunday.  We also planned a press conference for Monday, if they were not found. A friend lent their cabin as a headquarters.

While he drove away, our phones began ringing. Two Mendocino area locals saw the news report, found my number on Facebook and called to tell us they thought they knew Ryan and Viola’s whereabouts. Both callers identified a popular destination for camping on a road near the gas station. Only locals knew the road flooded and became impassable during rainstorms. These callers were strangely insistent about knowing their whereabouts.  We believed them. One caller, with the name, Ryan agreed to meet my husband and help him search for them.  Another person called to say he would drive the route to search for the red truck with a spotter. Another offered to ask her psychic for us. We accepted all offers. In the meantime, the sheriff  sent forest service representatives to look for clues in the area.

Still, we were despondent.

The weather was awful, we were still operating with just Viola’s credit card as our only clue and the police were unwilling to issue a request for air patrol without better information. The sheriff said, “its like looking for a needle in a haystack.”  At times, I was begging the police departments (Fremont & Lake County)  for help. So frustrating. I can’t help but wonder if it had been some drug dealer if the response would have been different.

Desperate times, desperate measures

Desperate, as a family, we decided to hire a rescue helicopter pilot to search the 90 square miles of the forest for my nephew’s red truck. If we found the truck, the sheriff would begin a formal search & rescue.

I looked on Google and found a San Francisco based service, they directed me to Shasta Air and the pilot/owner of Shasta agreed to search for them. But, he said,” I can’t fly unless the weather clears.” Again we waited, this time for clear skies.

At the same time, my husband arrived at an empty Forest Service station and as he prepared to leave, a man, I mean an angel in a white Hummer arrived, gave us detailed maps of the area, drew a clear route for us nd drove off, again telling us to look on the same road the other callers suggested. We still don’t know why he was there. We decided to follow these leads directing us to the same place. We felt it was wisdom of the crowd and maybe God’s hand.

My husband met the helicopter with yet another nephew, Jeff who drove in from Reno after flying in from Washington, (he was going to spearhead the search effort in Tahoe until we found the gas station clue.) The weather miraculously cleared from 2:30 to 3:30.The helicopter took off for the hills.

Prayer, the oldest social media tool

At the same time, the helicopter took off, we prayed for their red truck to be found (we started a prayer tree among everyone helping us at 3:15)  and within 30 minutes of take-off,  Ryan, Viola and their three dogs were found walking out of the wilderness, near a road accessible to four wheel drive vehicles.

Our joy was boundless.

Their Story

My nephew and Viola drove to Mendocino National Forest to stay the night in a campground they visited last winter.  On Saturday night, they played the radio for a few minutes while they pitched their tent, something they frequently do. This time though, it drained their truck’s old  battery and now they were stuck miles from anywhere.  The rain and snow began that night and continued all week.

On Sunday, they hiked ten miles looking for help or cell phone coverage in the rain & sleet, on Monday they hiked another ten miles in the opposite direction again looking for help; still immersed in the storm.

Monday evening, they  warmed the battery with a Thermalite pad in the hopes it would get a charge strong enough to start their car. After six hours, it worked and their truck started.

Tuesday morning, filled with hope and excited to be heading home, they easily forded the first stream cascading over what had been a dry road. The next stream was moving fast and they considered it carefully,  but knowing it was the only way out, they hit the gas. The force of the stream was too strong. It swept their truck downstream and against an embankment. In the snow and rain, they unloaded their belongings,their dogs and pitched camp. They were soaking wet and cold with three wet dogs nestled in with them (wet dogs are cold). NOTE: at this time we had yet to begin the search and they were in dangerous conditions. Start the search immediately and be crazy focused.

Wednesday & Thursday: The next day, they began hiking out (approx 20 to 30 miles  to go in snow up to their thighs) and luckily found a small cabin. They broke in and spent two days drying their gear and waiting for the storm to break.

Friday, they struck out on the trail again. They forded three raging streams and after each ford,  discarded their wet clothing. On Friday night, they pitched their tent again in the torrential rain and sleet.

On Saturday afternoon, they were found hiking out on a small trail. They almost reached the road. We think they would have made it, but then we don’t know. Twice Viola had fallen to her knees wondering aloud if she could make it. My nephew’s feet were raw with blisters, he could no longer wear his boots and his feet were getting colder by the minute. I respect their fortitude, their strength and their smarts.  But next time, before they go, they promise to give us their precise destination.

What to do if a beloved person in your life goes missing

1. File the report immediately, it takes time and they are probably in more trouble than you know

2. Mobilize the family and every friend you know to help. You don’t know who has a friend at the local sheriff’s office who can call in some favors.

3. Contact the media immediately with the facts and photos of the missing person’s. Go on air, don’t fear it, even if you are bawling. They can edit that portion out.

4. Use every social media tool you have, bloggers, facebook, twitter, prayer.

4. Work as closely as you can with the police, but don’t give up the responsibility of search to them, the police are busy and you care more than they do.

5. Get the locals involved immediately, not just the local police, the wisdom of the crowd will help you. Everyone seemed to know about them in Lake County.

6.  Accept help. Searching for someone is an intensely awful experience. Unasked,  my neighbors helped with my kids, sent food, and offered assistance I didn’t know I needed. Call me, email me, I will help. pat at uptake.com

8. Get your credit card ready, hire a helicopter to find them.

9. Pray and if you don’t believe, find someone who does.

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