Posted on 06/20/2005 5:23:04 PM PDT by glock rocks
For more info on how you can volunteer, CLICK HERE.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP/KSL News) -- A mother tries to keep -hope alive even as thousands of people search for her missing son Brennan Hawkins.
At moment there's still no sign of the 11-year old. That, in spite of intensive searches by air, on land, and in the east fork of the Bear River.
"We look out into this darkness now and somewhere my son is out there," Brennan's father, Toby Hawkins, said Monday on NBC's "Today" show. "If you can find time to come up here and help us, please do. That's what we need now. We need people to come up and help."
The search for the boy resumed around 7:00 this morning, with fewer volunteers showing up. The pool of volunteers looking for Brennan Hawkins dropped to about 60 searchers and 350 volunteers today from about three-thousand people on Sunday.
About 3,000 volunteers searched Sunday, scouring nearly six square miles for Brennan Hawkins of Bountiful, who was last seen near a climbing wall at the 8,500-foot elevation Scouting site in the High Uintas, about 80 miles east of Salt Lake City.
"He's probably dehydrated, sleep-deprived, definitely hungry," said Brennan's father, Toby. "With him being so young at 11, I don't think he's thinking about what he needs to do to survive because he's never been in that environment."
Toby Hawkins, Jody Hawkins, Kevin Bardsley, and Sheriff Dave Edmunds | |
Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds says they don't have any reason to believe a crime has been committed, but they're still not taking any chances. Because of that, detectives are checking the background of everyone who was in the mountains over the weekend.
"There has been quite a number of people up here over this weekend. There's individuals that came up to the Scout camp for training, there's people that have been camping in the general vicinity," Edmunds told CBS' "The Early Show." "I've got my detectives out there right now trying to ascertain exactly who was up here in the woods and make sure we didn't have a predator or something of that nature."
His mother, Jody Hawkins, said Brennan had a lot of outdoor experience. His father said the boy is shy and might not approach a stranger to confess he is lost.
The family spoke to the media Monday morning, running on only three hours of sleep since they heard that Brennan was missing,
A lot of adrenaline in your body can kick in, said Jody Hawkins, Brennans mother.
Standing next to them was Kevin Bardsley, reliving the nightmare of when his son Garrett went missing last summer, only 15 miles away.
I have never stopped thinking about my son, and I never will the rest of my life, said an emotional Kevin Bardsley.
When his wife says to me I know how you are feeling, shes the only person that knows how Im feeling, said Jody Hawkins.
Scout leaders began a search for the boy about 6:30 p.m. Friday and were joined by the Summit County search and rescue squad about 9:45 p.m. On Saturday, about 1,000 searchers turned out.
Some searchers brought horses and all-terrain vehicles. Helicopters were used, including one that searched at night using infrared devices.
Most searchers don't know Brennan. Some came from as far as Wyoming.
Some churches in the Bountiful area canceled services on Sunday so their members could help.
Brennan Hawkins, who recently completed the fifth grade, was wearing a blue sweat shirt, black shorts and white tennis shoes when he disappeared. Search officials were not concerned about exposure, as temperatures were only expected to drop into the 50s overnight.
Authorities are fearful the boy may have tried to cross the East Fork of the Bear River, which comes within about 50 yards of the camp. Two swift-water dive teams searched the river for miles on Sunday.
"The biggest risk is the river," Booth said. "It's over a man's head in some places, and the current is swift."
The mountainous area being searched is just 15 miles from where 12-year-old Garrett Bardsley vanished last summer while camping near Crystal Lake. Bardsley was never found, despite a wide, weeklong search.
"When we heard of the situation with Brennan, it made us realize how important it would be to come up and help in this effort and to be here for this family," Kevin Bardsley said.
Tonya Papanikolas Reporting
As volunteers search the mountain for Hawkins, a lot of public speculation has focused on the question, could he have been kidnapped? Missing posters are turning up outside of Summit county, just in case the boy might somehow be in the valley.
You can see Brennan's picture and information on some of the poles in Sugarhouse Park. Investigators say, so far they have no reason to believe Brennan was kidnapped, but this effort is being spearheaded by people just in case.
Police are dealing with Brennan's disappearance as a missing person's case, saying they have no evidence that any criminal activity took place. But they say until they know what happened for sure, they won't rule anything out and will investigate all possibilities. Detectives are gathering data and want to know who was in the woods when Brennan disappeared. Brennan's mom says she doesn't feel foul play was involved.
Jody Hawkins, Brennan's Mother: "I don't feel that there is. That's all I can go on, my gut instinct tells me there's not. I don't know more than that."
Dave Edmunds, Summit County Sherriff: "We have to work that angle, and we certainly are, and we're working that every bit as hard as we're working the search. But until we have some definite information or evidence that leads us to believe there is foul play, we're going to continue the search effort."
People can download fliers from Brennan's website at findbrennan.org. On that website, it says the effort is just to cover the possibility a kidnapping may have taken place, so it welcomes people to put up fliers at gas stations and grocery stores and around the state.
There was a concern in the beginning maybe Brennan could have crawled up in a car and the owners took off without knowing he was there. But family members and police told us they believe the focus needs to stay on the mountain search where they have the most hope of finding him.
BTTT
I don't know who to ping, but Prayer Bump!
He is in my prayers now.
Click the pic for a printable poster if you're so inclined.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)or
Summit County Sheriff's Office (Utah) 1-435-615-3600
Lost person searches get harder the younger the lost person is and the longer the search continues. Prayers to the family.
Bear River? That name doesn't make it sound too hopeful. Poor kid.
Previous articles said he was a Boy Scout. This article says nothing about that.
The father says he wouldn't know how to handle himself in the outdoors.
The mother says he has a lot of outdoor experience.
I'm confused.
Please everyone.....PRAY for this boy...
Well.....THAT didn't quite work. It's in post #4.
Children are more likely to be found, the more people that are searching. Thousands of Utahns have volunteered this weekend. It's not freezing up there at night. Swift water teams have scoured miles below the camp and have found no sign. They might find him up there in the Uintas, or he could as well pass through a truck stop in Colorado tomorrow. I can't help search, but I can post this.
He's just a little guy, so whatever experience he may have...would not be that much.
Pray.
The titles of the articles both do.
I heard about this heart breaker on the radio today. My prayers are with this young lad...
lord Jesus, please help these folks, the waiting is hard Lord, amen.
The east fork of the Bear is more of a creek, but it's faster and deeper right now due to runoff.
I've been watching this on Fox since yesterday. What a sweet face. He has the same first name as my grandson.
I sure am praying for him and his family!
Years ago, a young Boy Scout disappeared in the San Bernardino (CA) mountains...somewhere around Big Bear I believe. The Scout troop was hiking on a mountain trail, w/shale fields above & below. They weren't following the 1st rule of hiking...hike as fast as your slowest hiker. This Scout was behind w/no leader behind him.
They rounded a bend and at some point someone realized this kid wasn't there anymore. He was never found, although his camera was on the trail. The last picture was one he'd taken of his own face.
Lots of theories as to what happened to him, but that's all they ever had, theories.
Prayers for the boy and his family.
Thanks, my friend. Please spread the word. I was looking around on the link at the top of the thread...they REALLY need volunteers to help LOOK for this child.
Anything from trackers, good trackers vs puppy pushers ?
prayer bump
Dunno Squantos. That'd be one of my first choices.
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