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Suicides and Suicide
calls.
Many law enforcement and
SAR agencies either don’t wish to be bothered or just go out
to the scene and perform a quick search and then call it
”good”:
When a loved one has
left a note or a message that he/she is going to commit
suicide, please don’t take their statement lightly.
The youngest person I
found dead, was a young 11 yo child who was mad at his
father for not allowing him (the child) to go to football
camp. He walked up into the hills and sat down watched the
sunset, then took his 22 cal rifle and shot himself dead.
Searchers.
Remember when a person is intent on committing suicide, they
usually travel up high on a hillside, mountainside to
be, “Closer to God”. Or down low to a nearby
water source, lake, river, creek to, “Cleanse
them selves before death”.
I’ve found several men
and women, who have just walked right into the water and
drowned themselves. I’ve also found several men who walked
into the woods, sat next to a large tree, watched the sun
rise or set and blew their brains out.
Others who have hung
themselves. Some who have jumped to their deaths over
bridges, off buildings, over cliffs.
So, if you’re a
searcher, look at a Topo map of the area. Go to the PLS
(Point last seen) and get a scent article of the missing
person. Track their scent with a search dog. Search their
home and surrounding garages, sheds, RV’s first. There are
times I’ve found the victim dead on the property.
If the scent trail leads
to a water source, then conduct a water search and locate
their remains. If it heads deep into the wilderness, conduct
a track / trail with a search dog and try to find their
remains.
Some people are just
begging for help and have no intention of killing
themselves.
When / if you find them,
approach with caution. Especially if they might be armed.
Get training before the
next call on suicide prevention and consultation. I’ve
talked four people over the years into not killing
themselves.
Families. If you have a family member missing, call
the police. If they refuse to go look, then take on that
responsibility yourself. Gather friends and family and maps
of the area. Figure out areas of highest probability. Parks,
views, and other areas the person enjoyed visiting in the
past. Churches, cemeteries, rivers, boat ramps.
Ask the police to PING
the victim’s cellular telephone. This will give you an area
to start searching in.
If the victim drove a
vehicle and your volunteer searchers find his / her vehicle.
DON’T TOUCH IT”.
Freeze the scene. Call
911 and let the police determine if the victim drove it
there or if this is a murder made to look like a suicide. If
you find the victim dead, don’t touch them. Back off, call
911.
Example:
On 02-11-2011, I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Teams responded to a family’s
private request for assistance.
The father reported that
his son had disappeared on 02-02-2011. No note was found.
The subject had a good job, steady girlfriend and was secure
financially.
The son’s vehicle was
found at a state park parking lot. The local sheriff and
park rangers had conducted a ground search with search dogs
and found nothing.
Upon our arrival, in 1
hour, we were able to track the subject’s scent trail across
a bridge, down a trail to a 186-foot lookout area where our
3 search dogs indicated the subject fell to his death. We
then conducted a water search by boat and all search dogs
indicated his remains in a specific area below the jump
site.
There have been many
times when I’ve been able to talk the friends, search teams,
and the subject’s family through their search efforts to
bring closure.
If for some reason the
police refuse to respond to a missing persons call or
suicide report, call us, we can help. Office: 360-414-8093 /
Mobile: 503-705-0258.
Email:
searchdog@iinet.com Web;
www.k9sardog.com |
