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| Khayman Welch Missing Person Search, AZ | |
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| | Khayman Welch Missing Person Search, AZ | | | |
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Khayman Welch Missing Person Search, AZ
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| Hiking | 4.10 Miles |
547 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.10 Miles | | | |
| 547 ft AEG | | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Today we did a coordinated search for missing person Khayman Welsh. He went for a walk at Needle Vista 8-12-20 and disappeared in the Superstition Mountains. Our team included SSAR, family members and volunteers. We attempted a search line, but really didn’t have the manpower. Ultimately we were spread out too much to 100% guaranteed that we hadn't missed something important. Sadly, as time goes by, there is decreasing interest in finding this young man. I was told it’s been harder to get volunteers. Certain core people are constantly searching however. We didn’t find what we were looking for, which at this point is human remains. What we’ve learned from the Dutchman is that not everything can be found in the Superstition Mountains. The drone was down because of the wind.
It was a mild weathered day from 50-70 degrees, the kind that usually makes being outdoors a celebration. We fanned out and worked the area south and east of the vista heading towards Hackberry Spring and then worked back around the wash basin. This area has been covered before but not thoroughly. I used Route Scout to document my GPS track to share with the coordinators. My contribution was minor but was not a waste of time. I found a grand quantity of trash. There was ancient miner’s trash practically dissolved all the way up to modern coffee cup lids. I found tarps and makeshift campsites, clothes, and a pair of pants deep in an unusual place. The missing person’s girlfriend said that they were not Khay’s. I also found a number of active mine claim boundary stakes, where I didn’t know mining was occurring.
Afterwards we regrouped and cleared (most of) a dangerous abandoned mine. It was rough, and probably 300 feet deep with numerous drifts, adits, collapsed supports, debris like rails, cave ins, and bad air. One area we could not clear due to the risk, but a determined person could have got up in there where we weren’t able to check.
I’m glad I did it and will help them more. It was touching to be there and to look into the grandparents eyes and be thanked for helping. I don’t want to speculate or spread rumor, so will not go into details of his disappearance. Obviously they can always use more volunteers and if you know or have found something, please report it to the MCSO. Things you might want to report aside from human bones are for example, the smell of decomposition, or predator scat with material in it, etc. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
