The Peru Gazette

On Sept. 12 at 8:15 a.m., New York State Police (NYSP) notified Ray Brook Dispatch that they had found a vehicle at the Cold Brook Public Use Area belonging to a 29-year-old subject from Wisconsin who had been reported missing by his family on Sept. 9. They had not heard from the subject since Aug. 31. He failed to report to Columbia University after enrolling for the fall semester. Over the next four days, 34 Forest Rangers joined Environmental Conservation Police Officers, recruits from the Forest Ranger Academy, NYSP, New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Clinton County Office of Emergency Services, multiple fire departments, Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks (SARNAK), Adirondack Mountain Rescue, Niagara Frontier Search and Rescue, Community Search and Rescue (COMM SAR), New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and Clinton County Technical Rescue in the search. Drone crews covered 89 acres. NYSP and Rangers conducted two aviation flights. Search crews covered 240 miles of linear searches via ATV and foot and 466 acres by foot. The search included hiking trails and the areas with the best views where an accidental fall is most likely. On Sept. 15 at 1 p.m., crews located the subject deceased in a thick, swampy area and turned him over to the Clinton County Coroner.