Top of Virinia Search and Rescue News

Top of Virginia Search and Rescue

TOVSAR Congratulates Members on Training Certification

Recent Search Missions

2008 Missions

Hampshire County, WV 5 May: full callout for a missing 67 year old male, who was found while units were en route.

Rockingham County, VA, 15 April: full callout for a 68yr old female, who was found in good condition prior to our arrival.

Shenandoah National Park, VA - 30 March - 10 April: full callout for a missing 42 year old male, who was found deceased.

Page County, VA 8 February - full callout for a missing 33-year old woman, who was found deceased.

2007 Missions

Nelson County, VA 10 November - full callout for an 8 year old missing boy who was found prior to our arrival.

Shenandoah National Park, VA - 31 October - 2 November: 1full callout for a missing 40 year old male, who was found in good condition

Rockingham County, VA 28 October - A bloodhound team responded to assist Sheriff's deputies in searching for a missing 51 year old man, who was found in good condition.

Front Royal, VA 25 October - A bloodhound team responded to assist Police officers in searching for a missing 31 year old male. The search was suspended after numerous reports that he was seen in the town in good condition.

Highland County, VA 16 October - a full callout was requested to assist Sheriff's deputies in the search for a 64 year old female who wandered away from home. She was found in good condition after approx. 24 hours.

Frederick County, VA 15 October - a full callout was requested to assist Sheriff's deputies in the search for a missing 55 year old male, who was found in good condition.

Charlottesville, VA, 1 October - A bloodhound team was requested to search for a missing 67 year old female. She was found prior to our arrival. (VA-059-07)

Preston County, WV, 25 September - a full callout was requested to assist authorities in locating two teenagers who became lost in the vicinity of Camp Dawson, outside Kingwood, WV.

Madison County, VA, 7 September - a full callout was requested to assist Civil Air Patrol and Madison County in the search for a missing single-engine plane. The plane was located after it crashed into the mountains just outside Shenandoah National Park. All three occupants were killed upon impact.

Morgan County, WV, 21 August - Bloodhounds and signcutters were requested to assist in a search near Berkeley Springs. The search was suspended.

Shenandoah County, VA, 3 July - a bloodhound team was requested to assist Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office in the search for a pair of missing hikers near Orkney Springs. (VA-039-07). The hikers were found in good condition prior to our arrival.

Loudon County, VA, 30 June - a bloodhound team responded to assist Loudon County Sheriff's Office in the search for a missing 3-year old near Leesburg. (direct call from Loudon County). She was found prior to our arrival.

Spotsylvania, VA, 24 June - a bloodhound team responded to assist Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office in the search for a 61 year old male. The subject was determined to have left the area and the search was suspended. (VA-038-07)

Louisa, VA 19 June - a full callout was requested to assist Louisa Sheriff's Office in the search for a 2 year old boy who wandered away from home the evening before. The boy was located in good condition by searchers approximately one mile from his home after 17 hours. (VA-037-07)

Frederick County, VA 15 June - a full callout was requested to assist Frederick County Sheriff's Office in the search for a 77 year old female who wandered away from home. The woman as found in good condition near her home. (VA-035-07)

Rockingham County, VA, 15 May - a full callout was requested to assist Rockingham County Sheriff's Office in the search for a 67 year old male missing since the previous evening. He was found deceased by searchers.

Loudon County, VA, 13 April - a bloodhound team responded to assist Loudon County in a search. (direct call from Loudon County)

Manassas City, VA, 19 January - a bloodhound was requested to assist Manassas PD in the search for a 68 year old female missing for three hours. She was found in good condition as we were responding. (VA-005-07)

Frederick County, VA, 16 January - members were put on alert for an accident victim who fled the scene in a rural area. One bloodhound team was dispatched and trailed the subject for over two miles. The subject was located at his home later.

Shenandoah National Park, 2-5 January - A full callout was requested to assist SNP police in searching for a 35 year-old male who was lost in the park. The subject had left the park and was found in good condition on Friday, 5 January. (VA-001-07)

2006 Missions

Shenandoah County, VA, 28 December - A full callout was requested to assist in the search for a bear hunter who got lost from her group. She walked to a house shortly after dawn and was found in good condition. (VA-082-06)

Page County, VA, 19 December - A full callout was requested for a mentally challenged adult male who was found as members were responding.

Louisa County, VA 8 December - bloodhounds were requested to assist Sheriff's deputies in a criminal investigation. One team responded and identified potential routes for law enforcement follow-up. This was the first mission for one of our newly certified operational teams.

Augusta County, VA 7 December - A full callout was requested to assist in the search for a 17 yr old male missing since 1600 that day. He was found in good condition while our units were en route.

Chesterfield County, VA, 4-5 December - Bloodhounds were requested to assist in the search for a 20 yr old mentally challenged female missing since 1700 that day. One team responded and followed a scent trail to a ravine where the subject was later found in good condition. This was the first mission for one of our newly certified operational teams.

Louisa County, VA 3 December - bloodhounds were requested to assist Sheriff's deputies in a criminal investigation (a separate investigation from 8 December). Three teams responded and identified potential routes for law enforcement follow-up. They logged a total of 28.5 person-hours and traveled 252 miles. Frederick County incident # 8262

Winchester, VA 22 November - bloodhounds were requested to assist in the search for a missing 4 year old child, who was found in good condition prior to our arrival.

Prince William County, VA 17 November - all members were called to assist in the search for a missing hiker in Prince William Forest Park, who was found in good condition prior to our arrival. VA-074-06

Fauquier County, VA 5 November - bloodhounds were requested to assist in the search for two missing hikers in Sky Meadow State Park, who were found in good condition prior to our arrival.

Warren County, VA, 1 November - bloodhounds were requested to assist in the search for a missing 5-year old male, who turned up at a friend's house while members were en route.

Powhatan County, VA 26-27 November - all members were called to assist in the search for a missing 43 year old mentally challenged female, who was found in good condition prior to our arrival.

Spotsylvania County, VA 23 October - bloodhounds were requested to assist in the search for a missing 11 year old boy. Both of our bloodhound teams were in Switzerland, training European teams, and were unavailable.

Clarke County, VA 22 October - all members were called to assist in the search for two missing hikers along the Appalachian Trail, who were found in good condition prior to our arrival.

Warren County, VA, 19 October - all members were called out for a missing 3-year old boy, who was found in good condition in his home while members were en route.

Louisa County, VA, 5 October 2006 - bloodhounds requested to help search for a missing 7-year old boy, who was found unharmed after 24 hours.

Wicomico County, MD, 24-25 September 2006 - all hands requested to search for an 84-year old Alzheimers' victim. The subject was found alive after an overnight search.

Sussex County, VA, 31 August 2006: as Hurricane Ernesto approached Virginia, all hands were requested to search for a 49-year old mentally challenged female, who was found alive within a few hours.

Winchester, VA 18 August 2006: Winchester PD requested a bloodhound to assist with the search for a 16-month old boy who wandered from home. He was quickly found in good condition.

Rockingham County, VA 28-29 July 2006 - VA-042-06: All hands were requested to search for a 13 year old boy who wandered away from his family campsite at the base of the Massanutten Mountains. He was found in good condition the next morning at the ridge of the mountains.

Warren County, VA 22 July 2006: While TOVSAR was conducting a training exercise in Shenandoah River State Park with the Civil Air Patrol and TROT-SAR mounted SAR team, Warren County Sheriff's Office requested our help in finding two 9-year-old boys who wandered from home. TOVSAR re-routed the CAP aircraft and deployed an overhead team and a bloodhound team, but the boys were found before our units arrived.

Greene County, PA, 15-17 June, 2006 - VA-032-06 - search for a 12 year old girl in Pennsylvania who disappeared near her home. She was found, murdered, with help from TOVSAR and other searchers. The caretaker of a nearby farm was arrested and charged with her murder.

Clarke County, VA 28-29 May 2006 - VA-029-06 - search for a 58 year old female who became separated from her group during an outing along the Appalachian Trail. She was found in good condition along the trail by search teams and returned to her friends.

Morgan County, WV, 24 May 2006 - VA-028-06 - search for a 91-year old male who wandered away from his home. He was found in good condition by a passing motorist shortly after our arrival.

Rappahannock County, VA, 15 May 2006 - VA-026-06 - search for a 45-year old male who became separated from his wife on a short walk. The subject was found in good condition just prior to our arrival.

Shenandoah National Park, VA 30 April 2006 - VA-020-06 - search for a fisherman who got lost on a trail; eight members responded plus the dispatcher, and provided tracking, team leadership, communications and evacuation assistance. The fisherman was found alive by a K9 team, treated and transported to a hospital.

Albemarle County, VA 22 April, 2006 - VA-017-06 - search for elderly couple; three members responded plus dispatcher, assisted with tracking, team leadership, medical treatment, and evacuation of both subjects. Both survived and were transported to UVA hospital.

Caroline County, VA, 17 April 2006 - VA-015-06 - search for despondent female; one member responded before search suspended.

Frederick County, VA 30 January 2006 - MC-19 (Mobile Command Center) was requested to assist Frederick County Fire/Rescue at the scene of a gas explosion in Stephens City

Frederick County, VA 14 January 2006 - two teenagers lost on ATV's, found upon our arrival. 10 members plus SARTI members in the area responded.

Warren County, VA 11 January, 2006 - VA-001-06 62 yr. old male missing, found during our response.

2005 Missions

Shenandoah County, VA 15 November 2005

Warren County, VA 14 November 2005

Prince William County, VA 10-11 November 2005

New Orleans, LA, 6-17 October 2005

Clarke County, VA 29 September 2005

Stafford County, VA 20 September 2005

Rockingham County, VA 11 September 2005

Culpeper County, VA 24 August 2005

Nottoway County, VA 13-20 August 2005