Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
On August 3, 2024 at 10:24 am RCMP Ross River/Faro Detachment received a report of missing hunters that had not been heard from in more than 24 hours.
Some hunters were operating from a base camp, and a friend had stopped by the camp. No one was there at the time and the friend left the hunters a written message. When the friend returned, they determined that nothing at the camp had changed and this caused them significant concern for the hunters’ well-being. This indicated that the hunters had been gone from their camp for more than 24 hours.
Ross River/Faro Detachment officers, along with the assistance of Carmacks Detachment officers, mobilized their resources together in order to coordinate and conduct an extensive search and to cover the calls for police services in the area.
Corporal Cam Long, Police Dog Services for the Yukon, RCMP officers and people from the Faro community, worked together to conduct organized searches of the area on the ground. Officers also scoured the area by helicopter for several hours.
The hunters were all safely located by approximately 1:00 am August 4, cold and hungry, but otherwise in good health. They had mechanical issues with their off-road vehicles rendering them inoperable. They did not have a communication device with them that might have been used to aid in their recovery. (Emergency communication equipment such as an In-reach or satellite phone.)
“It is very rewarding when teamwork leads to a positive result. I am grateful for this positive outcome and thank the community for their assistance ” – Constable Martin Ouellet, Ross River/Faro Detachment, lead investigator