Search and Rescue works two missions
Search and Rescue look for VisionQuest runaways

By Adam Curtis
Wick News Service
Published/Last Modified on Thursday, July 16, 2009 2:01 PM MDT


SIERRA VISTA — Three teens ran away from a residential VisionQuest program near Elfrida on Thursday and headed west into the lower Dragoon Mountains, Cochise County Search and Rescue spokesman Raul Limon said. VisionQuest provides a variety of programs to help troubled teens and their families.


Search and Rescue was called into action Friday to help find the teens. Also that day, a SAR team recovered the body of an illegal immigrant who had died in the desert.

One of the VisionQuest runaways became extremely dehydrated and fell behind as the other two continued along the foothills. They planned to return with water, Limon said. The boy who fell behind found his own way out and was able to get help on Friday.

A team of deputies, border patrol agents, rangers, and SAR workers started a search for the two remaining teens on Friday, Limon said. Footprints matching those of the teens were found going west and than veering north along the foothills.

SAR had to call off its part in the search because the teens were definitely still trying to run away and were not in distress, Limon said. The Border Patrol and Sheriff’s Office were unable to comment on any new developments.

Calls made to Vision Quest were not returned before deadline.

That same day SAR workers were notified of an illegal immigrant in extreme distress north of Highway 82 and west of Highway 80, Limon said. A Border Patrol helicopter located the woman but could not land on the rocky terrain.

They guided a ground team to her, but she had succumbed to the heat by the time they arrived, Limon said. SAR went in on Friday night to recover the body.

 

Copyright © 2012 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    jbl wrote on Jul 27, 2009 10:35 PM:

    " Don't be misled by the head on this story; the events described happened two weeks ago, at least*. One of the two missing teens was knew the desert and how to survive in it, and may actually have known this particular area. In sum, they were able to get as far as the Dragoon area around I-10 before they were picked up.

    *Somehow the summary of Cochise county headlines that reaches me via Yahoo is always one to three weeks out of date. "

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