Over the past two weeks, hundreds of volunteers, forest rangers, and other individuals have scoured around 8,000 acres of Adirondack wilderness in the Horicon area looking for Thomas Messick, an 82-year-old hunter who went missing on November 15.
After being unsuccessful in locating Messick, the Department of Environmental Conservation decided to scale back volunteer efforts as of Monday.
According to The Post Star, “None of his clothing, his gun, portable radio or any other belongings were located. He did not have a cellphone. He had one eye, a history of heart trouble, no water and just a small Snickers candy bar.”
Messick went missing in an area bordered by homes and roads, which initially led officials to be optimistic that he couldn’t have gone too far. Forest rangers will continue the search for the time being, and all who have volunteered their time to the cause are thanked for their efforts.
Sources:
- The Post Star: Search for missing hunter scaled back in Horicon
- Photo provided by the Department of Environmental Conservation
