A lack of clues in the search for a missing hiker in Grand Canyon National Park has prompted a decision to begin scaling back the effort.
While rangers will on occasion continue to look for Robert A. Williams with dogs near cliff areas, aerial efforts and more intensive ground searches will end. Mr. Williams, 69, of Surprise, Arizona, was reported missing by his family after failing to return from a Memorial Day Weekend trip to the Grand Canyon.
While rangers were able to narrow their search to the Hermit Basin area west of Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim, an extensive search by helicopter, ground searchers, and a dog team yielded no clues as to Mr. Williams’ whereabouts. The decision to scale back the active search was based on the totality of circumstances including the rugged and steep terrain, the length of time that Mr. Williams has been missing (he was last seen on Saturday, May 23), and the number of hikers and searchers that have passed through the area without finding any indications as to Mr. Williams whereabouts.
Mr. Williams' daughter, Lisa Clarke, said her family “wanted to thank those people who saw the initial news release about the search for my father and took the time to call in and share some very helpful information.”
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Comments
You can excuse it with saying I lead a sheltered life--pretty difficult for a newspaper reporter--but what you said lacked local empathy for what people go through when their loved ones are missing. Are you actually equating tabloid stories to the details of a missing person's story? Like I said, I'm sure glad we're not related. Here you have a world-wide site that could alert someone about something they may have seen they didn't think was important to the time and may help find missing or injured people. In fact the family of this particular man has written a post asking for people's prayers and concerns so . A lot of people turn to the press, and that's what this is, when nobody else--like MCR?--is interested in helping them. My favorite part of reporting was helping people with problems when others wouldn't. Print reporting has an advantage in that it doesn't live off sound bites and can give the particulars of a story and it seems to me that while the "big picture" is important, it aso has a really neat way of dodging facts people may not want known and sometimes the devil is in the details. P.S. God may not need that info you talked about--but an unwitting witness may. Kurt, you are these peoples' lifeline. Keep it up.
Sorry for misspelling your name, MRC. Got to cut these nails down and ease up on the painkillers. Hate to misspell--a journalist's worst mistake. So I apologize for that.
We knew Robert Williams personally and appreciated all of the reporting we found online because when you care about someone who is missing under dire circumstances, there's not enough news, if you know what I mean. This is about Bob and not about any reader's opinion. Please keep the news coming as we still hope and pray for his safe return to his family.
Anonymous, I think about your friend, Bob, every day and pray they find him. I check this time first thing every morniing because I have people I love and if they disappeared, I'd want the world to turn itself upside down to find him. Good luck.