News & Events

Missing Child Search Support, Colorado

Description:

We were called in by our local CO SCR VOAD leadership to the command center that was set up in a church parking lot, near where an 11 year old boy disappeared from his home. This is an especially charged disappearance in this close knit community. We joined groups of Search and Rescue teams from many counties, the El Paso County Sheriff Department, and other agencies, as they gathered for the morning briefings. Dawn and I were there for the morning shift and were asked if we would like to join one of the search parties to help spread out in a search area. Since the base camp would soon be mostly empty, we checked with our RD to assure we could join. We walked 5 miles over some rough terrain, but it was very enlightening as to what happens on a search and rescue mission. When we returned to the base camp, Lee and Stacy were there to start their shift. They were told by the site lead for the El Paso County Sheriff, that they would have to leave because HOPE was officially not supposed to be there. It had not been cleared by our contact agency, which was the CO SCR VOAD. Also, search dogs were going to be coming for the afternoon shift and they felt the distraction of our dogs might lead to a non-productive situation. They were very apologetic to us, and said they would have loved for us to actually go over and visit with the family of the lost child, with the dogs, but we have to follow protocol and it had not been followed by the CO SCR VOAD.

Dawn Griebelbauer & Keeper, Stacy Strobel & Roxie, Lee Fernholz & Grace