Latest search finds no signs of missing Canadian man

Latest search finds no signs of missing Canadian man

by
NCN Staff
| 28 Jun 2011
Slika
Albert and Rita Chretiens

Searchers over the weekend found no trace of a Canadian man who went missing 15 weeks ago in Nevada.

Searchers with the Elko County Sheriff's Office looked for Albert Chretien in the high desert mountains for three days, but found no signs of him, a sheriff's office spokesperson said Monday.

Chretien went missing after he and his wife, Rita, became stranded in their van March 19 on a remote road once used by loggers and minors. The couple, who attended Penticton Church of the Nazarene, was en route to a business trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The couple stayed in the van three days until Chretien decided to go for help. He set out over the rugged terrain with a GPS device and a cell phone in hopes of reaching a residence or Mountain City, which was more than 20 miles away.

Searchers wanted to try once more "at least for the family if for anything else" to find Chretien, Lieutenant Marvin Morton of the Elko County Sheriff's office told the Vancouver (Canada) Sun.

Hunters found Rita Chretien alive in the van 49 days after the couple went missing. She ate small portions of trail mix and candy, and she drank water from a nearby stream to survive.

She spent several days in a Idaho hospital and then transferred to a hospital near the couple's home in Penticton, British Columbia. She is now at home. 

Searchers looked for Albert Chretien for three days after Rita was found. The weather and snowpack made the search difficult, so it was called off until conditions improved. 

The sheriff's office launched a new search last week, following several paths Chretien may have took in his search for help. Searchers are disappointed with the lack of results in what was the sheriff office's final attempt, Morton said.

With summer conditions taking hold and melting away the deep snowpack, it's possible that a hunter or backcountry motorist could come across Chretien in coming weeks, Morton told the Sun.

Because of the rugged and vast terrain, Morton said he's not surprised that Chretien hasn't been found.

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