VIRTUAL SEARCH WITH PAUL BURKE

Specialized Search Operations: Thomas Nazarro (Part 1)

Thomas Nazarro, 17, of Durham New Hampshire, convinced his mother that the NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course to learn Alaska Mountaineering would be a perfect graduation gift. In July of 1999, Nazarro then vanishes on a glacier in Alaska, and the resulting search requires extreme safety measures and clever resource usage to keep the search going. One of the most unique and dangerous environments sets the backdrop to the true story of the Nazarro Search, by the Trooper responsible for the mission and the management of resources.  Although this has been talked about in other podcasts and stories, finally, the truth about the operation and its challenges, and the roles we often have to fill with families of the subjects, our agencies, and the public comes to light. In the end, it is often others who determine our success. A "must listen".

The Dementia Subject: Barbara Doyle

One of the most common searches in the United States is that involving a subject with Dementia. We often use the term "Dementia", but in fact it is one type in the common, general grouping of a set of symptoms, the most common being Alzheimer's. There are, of course, other forms with specific causation, but generally, dementia describes a condition that affects memory, thinking, and social abilities, which interfere with daily life. While there is a discussion on this condition in this episode, it relates to its effect on a missing subject and does not explore the underlying conditions or treatment of this condition.
Barbara Doyle, 74, from Belle Vista, AR disappeared from Brookfield Assisted Living on Aug 12, 2021 at 3 PM. At the time of her disappearance, she was being admitted as a patient in their Memory Care section. Doyle left through an exit door that was alarmed, but a staff member did not know she was being registered at the time as a patient.
Staff had Doyle on camera acting in what was described as an "elusive manner", attempting to leave the facility,  according to police officials. Although a Virtual Search analysis was performed and provided on this incident on day one, it was never acted upon. Doyle was located on day eight at the location recommended in the analysis. 

Joshua McClatchy and the Long Hike

For Virtual Search Analysts, entering a search operation on day seven can be incredibly difficult and frustrating, considering how vulnerable people can become in the wilderness over time. Joshua McClatchy had been missing six days in the Caney Creek Wilderness of Arkansas, decreasing the chances McClatchy would be found alive. Search resources failed to locate him in spite of their efforts. Through the State Search and Rescue Coordinator, John Luther, Virtual Search was called to provide additional analysis in a last effort to locate the missing man. Analysis and direction from Paul Burke compelled the local Sheriff to fly one last helicopter flight with limited fuel to a location provided by Burke. Within minutes of arriving to the area, McClatchy's phone was picked up through the helicopter's forward-looking infra-red system, and searchers were directed to the location where they found McClatchy. 
The story illustrates the effectiveness of the Virtual Search system on long-running search operations and the critical analysis process that supported the viability of the subject and the cause for action. 

First Case: Shane McNeil

In September of 2010, Shane McNeil disappeared while walking the open desert between Henderson, Nevada, where he lived, and the Hoover Dam. The intended trip was more than 28 miles in temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. During the four days he was missing, well-intentioned search resources did not fully understand the subject they were looking for, and ignored simple data recovered from his cell phone. These clues eventually led searchers to his exact location and a tragic outcome.
On day three, Paul Burke and Ben McMinn were notified of the search and employed a process for analysis that has become "Virtual Search Planning". The process quickly developed a fact pattern that initiated actions by local search resources who discovered McNeil three hours later. Although McNeil was found deceased, the efforts of Burke and McMinn proved the rapid success of a process that has now been implemented nationally and internationally in the search for missing persons. The Shane McNeil incident is the story of how this came to be.

Virtual Search: In the Beginning

How did the concept of Virtual Search develop, and who is Paul Burke? While both of these topics will be discussed, this is really only the beginning of how this process became revolutionary in the field of search and rescue. After fifty years in the business of locating missing persons in the wilderness, Paul has developed both experience and processes that significantly increase the find rates for missing people. Between actual cases and their outcomes, and what lessons were learned in the process, Paul explores the search and rescue skills that others can learn from and use to find the lost.