Posted on 12/20/2004 9:58:53 PM PST by Former Military Chick
The search for 9-year-old Logan Mitcheltree continued Sunday in South Williams, but as of 11:30 p.m. officials had found no signs of the boy, despite hundreds of volunteers having combed every inch of the borough since he went missing Saturday.
Logan, of 1195 Main St., was last seen running east at Market Street and Southern Avenue at around 5 p.m. Saturday, borough Police Chief Rexford Lowmiller said.
He was wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt, blue jeans and brown slippers. He is 4 feet tall, weighs 55 pounds, has short, reddish-blond hair and dark brown eyes.
The youth is autistic and unable to speak, and he reportedly is incapable of finding his way home.
State Forest Ranger Jeff Raisch said Sunday afternoon that officials continue to treat Logan as a missing person and not an abductee.
Everywhere within the scope of the search has been examined three times, Lowmiller said, admitting disappointment and frustration that nothing had turned up.
Borough Mayor William R. Miller said he was heartened to see all of the people giving their time in a community effort, but admitted worrying about the dropping temperatures and the fact that hours of search had so far produced nothing.
Police still were not releasing any information about the Mitcheltree family, other than to say they are holding up well with the help of their minister, family and friends.
The social hall at First Ward Fire Co., 573 Hastings St., served as a command post and hundreds of people filled the room at 2 p.m., waiting to assist in the search. People were put in groups of 10 to 15 and assigned a portion of search area, which spanned from Arch Street to Clinton Township and from the Susquehanna River to Elimsport.
For safety reasons, search parties shifted just before dusk to emergency personnel only.
Volunteer firefighters from South Williamsport, DuBoistown, Loyalsock and Nisbet, rangers from the state Bureau of Forestry, state troopers, Civil Air Patrol members and a sheriff’s deputy planned to work through the night, Lowmiller said. The searchers are using thermal imaging cameras and night vision goggles.
Many civilian volunteers continued to search, he acknowledged, although not under the direction of officials at the command post.
‘‘What we are suggesting to people who want to continue to help,’’ Lowmiller said, ‘‘is that they search their own property, and if their neighbor isn’t home, or is elderly, search their yard, too.’’
He suggested people search under porches or in sheds or garages — anywhere someone might go to get out of the elements. Logan also reportedly likes animals and swing sets.
By Sunday afternoon, more than 350 people had signed up to go out on a search team. Some were members of church groups, some were their because they know the Mitcheltrees, and all wanted to do something.
Other volunteers served sandwiches and drinks to the searchers.
Search outings typically lasted about two hours, with the size of the coverage area determined by the difficulty of the terrain.
The groups, under the direction of a professional, fanned out quickly but proceeded slowly.
‘‘You should go as fast as the slowest person in your group,’’ one man said, adding that people should stay about 30 yards apart.
A Sun-Gazette reporter accompanied a Sunday afternoon search that covered an area from Route 15 south to Bald Eagle Mountain. The proceedings were silent except for the crunch of leaves.
People peered into drainage pipes and inspected piles of brush, instructed to yell ‘‘Find!’’ whenever they came across anything significant.
On that search, the word was never uttered.
‘‘It’s the Sunday before Christmas, and people are giving up their time, helping someone they don’t know,’’ John Nevill of Williamsport said. He said he searched from 12:30 p.m. to dusk, mostly along Route 15.
‘‘We just went out and tried our best to look for him,’’ he said. ‘‘I feel bad we didn’t find him, but at least I tried.’’
The search was made more difficult by a snow squall that blew in about 2:30 p.m., and by 10 p.m. wind gusts at 20 mph made the 15-degree temperatures feel about 15 degrees colder. Temperatures today are expected to reach only the upper teens.
Nonetheless, Lowmiller said he still held out hope that the boy would be found, alive and well.
‘‘We’re hoping he found someplace warm,’’ he said, adding that 20 years ago a man disappeared from his home in the borough, and was found in Washington Township a few days later.
Today, teams were to resume a helicopter search and use boats to scan areas along the river.
A community briefing is scheduled for 7 tonight at the South Williamsport Area High School.
Prince may be reached at kprince@sungazette.com.
Frankly I am pissed folks. You have a pregnant woman missing, the media were like vultures. Same thing with the Chandra Levy case. Then you have that little beauty queen the list goes on. This little boy deserves the same as the cute blonde little girl in California.
I am angry. But if the little that I can do is to send this out to family and friends asking their assistance in keeping an eye out and passing it along to their friends.
Thanks for allowing me to rant.
Previous thread here:
I'm very afraid about the river, with the floodgates and levies and the park area there and the tall bridges.
I hope against hope that they find this boy.
It's just been so very very cold.
Missing autistic child **ping**!
We shall keep this little guy and family in our prayers and I ask that you do as well.
WHERE???? What state?
Prayers going out...
I think PA
With any luck, they'll find him warming himself with a dog in a dog pen somewhere.
Yes...the cold.
Williamsport Pennsylvania
The address "12 E Southern Ave" is the closest item I could get to the
"last seen" address.
The blue patch is the wide, slow Susquehanna River.
This has always been my worst nightmare. My 11-year-old autistic son doesn't speak much, can't tell anyone his name, can't find his own way home, doesn't pay attention to people, cars or much of anything surrounding.
If he ever got lost...I shudder to think. I can only imagine what this family is going through right now.
The address "12 E Southern Ave" is the closest item I could get to the
"last seen" address.
The blue patch is the wide, slow Susquehanna River.
Spent a summer near Williamsport in Eagle's Mere. Beautiful county.
It's cold and dark there with the mountains. This is the sort of thing that keeps me up at night.....sigh..
Ach! Ein doppleposte.
My buddy's autistic son was a 'runner' when he was about four or five. He would invariably go about a block to where a stream passes under a stone bridge along a semi-busy street...to watch the water.
Luckily, he grew out of the impulse to run.
Missing person ping.
Pennsylvania FReepers please be especially alert.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my missing person ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
I'm praying for this little one.
Luckily, my son has never been a runner. But he LOVES to watch running water. I think most autistic children do, which can be very dangerous.
how many girls went missing or found dead while the MSM was having the love affair with the Mormon family of the missing girl, can't even remember her now....but she was found safe....
in SLC at that time, IIRC, another young woman went missing, and had little or no attention....
its aggravating, but I sure don't know what to do about it....
at least we can talk about these cases here on FR....
Indeed it is PA!
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