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Search resumes for boy in park
July 21, 2007
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK — Nine months ago, an 8-year-old Portland boy disappeared during a sightseeing trip with his father at Crater Lake National Park, leaving authorities no clues.
Next week, park officials plan to search again for Samuel Boehlke with rescue dogs and helicopters at the boy’s last known location in the Cleetwood Cove area, said Chief Ranger Dave Brennan.
The small-scale continuous search plan is a recovery mission — not a rescue, officials said.
“It’s simply not possible that Sammy would survive this long,” Brennan said.
Boehlke disappeared Oct. 14, 2006, after stopping with his father at a lookout area on East Rim Drive, about a quarter mile from Cleetwood Cove. The pair was hiking up toward a forested area when Boehlke, who liked to play hide and seek, ran ahead and his dad lost sight of him, officials said.
More than 200 searchers from Washington, Oregon and California looked for the boy for nearly a week on foot and horseback, by helicopter and with rappel equipment.
Heavy snowfall blanketed the park in the days after Boehlke’s disappearance, hindering efforts. Boehlke also had low-level signs of autism, which searchers said made him more difficult to find because the boy was frightened by whistles and sirens.
Officials don’t suspect foul play in the boy’s disappearance.
Park officials suspended the search in October. This month, Cleetwood Cove re-opened, and search efforts restarted.
Brennan said the park will bring in search dogs next week from Yamhill and Marion counties to scale an area near Boehlke’s last known location. An Ashland helicopter pilot also will assist.
The search now is occasional and only with a handful of searchers, he said.
Long-term searches are a good opportunity for rescue dogs to gain experience, Brennan said. He expected the park to coordinate with sheriff’s search and rescue teams from other counties, such as Klamath and Jackson, in the coming months. Officials will work until the snow falls again, Brennan said. The search will continue during future summer months.
“We don’t actually suspend searches in which we don’t find the person,” Brennan said.
- By Laura McVicker
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK — Nine months ago, an 8-year-old Portland boy disappeared during a sightseeing trip with his father at Crater Lake National Park, leaving authorities no clues.
Next week, park officials plan to search again for Samuel Boehlke with rescue dogs and helicopters at the boy’s last known location in the Cleetwood Cove area, said Chief Ranger Dave Brennan.
The small-scale continuous search plan is a recovery mission — not a rescue, officials said.
“It’s simply not possible that Sammy would survive this long,” Brennan said.
Boehlke disappeared Oct. 14, 2006, after stopping with his father at a lookout area on East Rim Drive, about a quarter mile from Cleetwood Cove. The pair was hiking up toward a forested area when Boehlke, who liked to play hide and seek, ran ahead and his dad lost sight of him, officials said.
More than 200 searchers from Washington, Oregon and California looked for the boy for nearly a week on foot and horseback, by helicopter and with rappel equipment.
Heavy snowfall blanketed the park in the days after Boehlke’s disappearance, hindering efforts. Boehlke also had low-level signs of autism, which searchers said made him more difficult to find because the boy was frightened by whistles and sirens.
Officials don’t suspect foul play in the boy’s disappearance.
Park officials suspended the search in October. This month, Cleetwood Cove re-opened, and search efforts restarted.
Brennan said the park will bring in search dogs next week from Yamhill and Marion counties to scale an area near Boehlke’s last known location. An Ashland helicopter pilot also will assist.
The search now is occasional and only with a handful of searchers, he said.
Long-term searches are a good opportunity for rescue dogs to gain experience, Brennan said. He expected the park to coordinate with sheriff’s search and rescue teams from other counties, such as Klamath and Jackson, in the coming months. Officials will work until the snow falls again, Brennan said. The search will continue during future summer months.
“We don’t actually suspend searches in which we don’t find the person,” Brennan said.
- By Laura McVicker
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