That number – 1,600 – comes from the journalist Jon Billman’s research. That’s a squishy number, though, because the two largest land managers – the Department of the Interior and the U.S. In Washington, there are 765 open missing persons cases.Īn estimated 1,600 people are missing in the wildlands of the United States. However, “tens of thousands” remain missing for more than one year according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Most of them are found, dead or alive, rather quickly. “What color was Rachel’s pad, backpack and sleeping bag?”Įvery year, in the United States, roughly 600,000 people go missing. Then the radio crackles, interrupting Carr’s monologue. Kevin agrees to wait.Ĭarr continues talking about his tattoos, all of which (except for the ones on his back) he did himself, “Yes sir, I’m ambidextrous,” he says. We’ll come up to you, the rogue search and rescue employee says. So forgive Kevin for being a bit antisocial sometimes. 14 for the day’s search for missing hiker Rachel Lakoduk at the 49th Parallel’s base camp off of Cascade River Road near Marblemount, Wash. BELOW: Kevin Dares holds his head in his hand as Bud Carr draws out the strategy on Aug. Three years, and thousands of hours and dollars later, she remains missing. His girlfriend, Samantha Sayers, also disappeared while hiking. But for Dares these searches are painful. He continued up despite the plan to meet. “Kevin, status report,” Carr says into the radio, which each searcher carries per his rigorous protocol.ĭares is 500 feet up the hill, obscured by the thick vegetation. Originally from New Orleans, his leisurely drawl belying a sharp wit and quick tongue. A Seattle hotelier and real estate developer. The easy banter of men and women who work together often. The conversation covers more ground than the searchers have. All told, Carr and various configurations of volunteers have spent more than 70 days on this mountain in the North Cascades searching for her. They know the chances of finding her are slim to none. They’ve been picking their way uphill, high stepping over logs and brushing away bugs for four hours, methodically searching for any sign of Lakoduk.
A carpenter by trade, who converted to Buddhism while in a Missouri prison, Carr spends months in the woods looking for missing people as a way of repaying his karmic debt to society. A man that dresses in military camo but, being a felon, can’t legally own a gun. An accomplished smoker, American Spirits blue. There is a woman from Spokane who met Lakoduk’s husband in community college and felt compelled to help.Īnd then there is Carlton “Bud” Carr Jr., the man who brought them together. 17, 2019, spent an entire night searching for her.īeside him sits a county search and rescue volunteer who goes “rogue” occasionally, spending time outside the bounds of the county system, trying to bring closure to a family left wondering what happened to their daughter. 14.Īmong them is a former Marine, who days after Rachel Lakoduk went missing on Oct. And everything tilted at an absurd angle – 35 to 40 degrees – making progress a thing measured in hundreds of feet, not miles.Īnd so, 667 days after a 28-year-old Moses Lake woman vanished into these hills and 657 days after the Skagit County Search and Rescue team suspended their search, a ragged group of volunteers pauses to take a breather.
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