Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell convened a conference Tuesday morning with Sheriff’s Office command staff, County Search & Rescue, and Sweetwater County Emergency Management to review and evaluate the case of a hunter missing from Rock Springs.
74-year-old Terry Meador, a retired Rock Springs teacher, was reported missing to the Rock Springs Police Department on October 25 after he did not return from a solo hunting trip south of Rock Springs. His unoccupied vehicle, a 2013 Chevrolet pickup, was found badly stuck approximately 2 3/4 miles north of the summit of Pine Mountain. He has not been seen since, nor has there then been any cell phone or financial resources activity connected with him.
Ground units, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopter searches on and around Pine Mountain by county deputies, Sweetwater County Search & Rescue, and family members and friends on October 26th, 27th, and 28th were unsuccessful, and ground and fixed-wing aircraft searches on the 29th and 30th also produced negative results.
The Sheriff’s Office mounted a major search operation on November 3 to stay ahead of the weather, predicted to worsen over the following days. Participating were sheriff’s deputies, over 150 volunteers, canine teams, Sweetwater County Search & Rescue, a team from Tip Top Search & Rescue of Pinedale, and a helicopter provided by University of Utah Air Med.
Unfortunately, officials say that this search, too, proved unsuccessful.
A statement from the SCSO says that over 60 square miles have been searched by teams on foot and on horseback, canine teams, people with ATVs, four-wheel-drives, drones, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft on and around Pine Mountain. All structures within the search areas have been checked.
Lowell said low temperatures and adverse weather conditions have now compelled a suspension of official search-and-recovery operations.
“We realize that people may wish to conduct their own searches,” Lowell said. “Winter conditions can make such efforts risky. If you do choose to search on your own, be properly equipped and, equally important, leave word where you will be and when you plan to return.”
Authorities continue to ask that anyone with information on the Meador case contact the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.
