The search for a missing Kelowna, B.C., senior went into its second day with still no signs of the 79-year-old.
On Wednesday, the RCMP’s helicopter was back in the air while a ground search Allan Francescutti continued.
“We’re very concerned,” said Duane Tresnich, search manager with Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR). “We want to make sure we find him and bring him home.”
COSAR is conducting a ground search in the hills above Lake Country between Dee and Doreen Lakes, close to where Francescutti’s vehicle was located Tuesday morning.
The dark-coloured Dodge Ram truck was discovered by volunteers of the Okanagan Forest Task Force (OFTF), which is assisting in the search.
“We were notified of the vehicle from a local Off Road Group OTB, who we work very close with during our cleanups and things like that,” said Kane Blake, OFTF’s founder.
“They were out in the area and had seen the vehicle. They didn’t really think much of it at the time until the story was published and they contacted me that they saw a vehicle matching the description, so we went up to check and confirmed the plate number.”
According to COSAR, Francescutti has been diagnosed with dementia and may be confused.
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“Even after a few days, there’s a possibility that he is just still walking around and he’s fine and that’s what we’re going on,” Tresnich said.
“We’re looking for evidence to see if he’s he’s walked around and then we can follow his footprints or tracks that way.”
Tresnich said the terrain is challenging for searchers, who are using UTVs and ATVs in addition to being on foot.
“The trees are growing very close together and it hasn’t been logged or forested in a long time,” Tresnich said. “So there’s also a lot of downfalls, a lot of trees that have fallen over that there’s a good chance that he’s tripped or fallen he could be underneath one of those.”
There’s also quite a bit of snow in the area making sections of the forest service roads difficult to travel on.
“We don’t have any reasons why he chose that area to drive into it all,” Tresnich said. “That’s the question I wish we could answer.”
COSAR is warning anyone venturing out into the backcountry to be well prepared and aware of the conditions this early on in the season.
The organization said it has been called out several times in recent weeks for stranded people after their vehicles got stuck.
“Please remember that this time of year that if you’re going to go into the backcountry, be prepared,” Tresnich said. “Make sure you have a way of starting a fire some extra food. Realize in the upper elevations that we still have a lot of snow and people are getting stuck in cars, cars and trucks are sliding of the roads.”
There is little to no cell service in many of these areas so calling for help isn’t always that easy.
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