Found Deceased CA - David Gonzales, 9, San Bernardino Mountains, 31 July 2004

[CaliMom]

Search For Missing 9-Year-Old Enters Critical Phase
Boy Camping With Family, Went To Get Cookies

POSTED: 6:08 pm PDT August 1, 2004
UPDATED: 8:41 am PDT August 2, 2004

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. -- A 9-year-old-boy who disappeared while camping with his family in the San Bernardino Mountains remained missing for a second day, and a friend said his family was concerned about reports that a truck was seen speeding from the area about the time he disappeared.

More....

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/3604213/detail.html

[Juliana]

I can't find any updates, but I'm praying for this boy.


imo

[CaliKid]

The search for a 9-year-old boy who disappeared after leaving his family's mountain campsite to retrieve cookies from the family truck entered a fourth day Tuesday...

http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/ne...11000108032004

[CaliMom]

Searchers Hopeful Missing Boy Is Alive

POSTED: 6:08 pm PDT August 1, 2004
UPDATED: 11:21 am PDT August 3, 2004

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. -- More than 100 rescuers continue to search for a missing 9-year-old boy Tuesday.

Don Welch with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department told NBC4 he is hopeful David Gonzales is alive and will be fine.

Welch said the boy's prognosis is good since both the weather and the boy's age are on his side.

Welch added that search and rescue teams will search indefinitely... 24 hours a day for many days until the boy is found.

NBC4 learned that fresh tracks have been discovered, and witnesses claim to have seen the boy walking alone away from his parents.

Earlier in the week, authorities said they were interested in talking to the driver of a vehicle that left the area about the time David Gonzales disappeared Saturday morning, but there was no evidence of an abduction.

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/3604213/detail.html

[CaliKid]

I hope with all my heart that this is just a case of a little boy getting lost. I have a 9 year old and 8 year old, and I can't imagine them lost in the mountains. Fortunately, our temperatures have been very mild the past couple of days. I'm praying they find little David soon.

http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/ne...06000108032004

[FULCRUM]

Missing boy may have walked alone

LOST: Sheriff's find what they think are footprints from the 9-year-old.


01:27 AM PDT on Wednesday, August 4, 2004

FAWNSKIN - Footprints that may have been left by David Gonzales' Nike shoes and a possible sighting have surfaced as the only clues sheriff's officials have in the search for a 9-year-old who has been missing for four days, officials said Tuesday.

Tracks that are believed to be David's were found one mile north of the Hanna Flat campground. David was camping with his family and two others when he disappeared Saturday morning. Tracks that were found Monday were determined not to be David's, said sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.

Witnesses told deputies that they saw the boy walking northwest on one of the campground's roads, Beavers said. They confirmed the sighting with a photograph. The witnesses, who weren't identified, said the 9-year-old was walking alone.

http://www.pe.com/breakingnews/local...t04.585bd.html

[FULCRUM]

Can they use volunteer searchers for something like this, or in rugged terrain do they leave it to the experts?

I am on vacation the next couple days and live about 1-2 hours away and would love to help, but don't know how or who to contact. My gut feeling is they use trained search and rescue teams.

Anybody know or have any ideas?

[Love_Mama]

This young boy is my prayers.........that he be found alive.
Very sad,

xxxxxxxxxoooooo
mama

[blueclouds]

More info that the boy still may be alive. Poor little man. Police found some clues to indicate he's alive.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040804_471.html

[JBean]

I was in Big Bear yesterday. The whole town is looking for him, police and newstrucks all over. I found myself looking for him everywhere i went. It is so-o sad.

[JBean]

Originally Posted by FULCRUM

Can they use volunteer searchers for something like this, or in rugged terrain do they leave it to the experts?

I am on vacation the next couple days and live about 1-2 hours away and would love to help, but don't know how or who to contact. My gut feeling is they use trained search and rescue teams.

Anybody know or have any ideas?

All I can tell you from being up there yesterday is that they have command post set up and the whole town is on high alert. I think they are using trained personnel.

[FULCRUM]

Do you remember another missing boy from Big Bear. (I'm not sure this is the right place to post this).

It was maybe 10 years ago, he was about 9 or 10. Was hiking with his boy scout troup I think. When they got back to the parking lot and did a head count they were one short. Searched and searched for days for him. They found his camera and developed the pictures. He had taken pics of himself (that they published at least). They may have found some slide type marks in a ravine, but I don't think they ever found him. I've often thought about him and what happened. I think I read somewhere that there were alot of pot growers up in the area, and they possibly had something to do with it. Does anyone remember this case and have any further details so I could research further?

[Jeana (DP)]

I was hoping to get here this morning to some good news, but I see not. You know, if they can install small devices in cars to find them when they're stolen, why can't they have something that you can put inside a sneaker or something like that, so when you're in a large area with children, they can be found. With technology what it is today, this is a damn shame.

[FULCRUM]

I found this in Newslibrary's archieves

Daily News of Los Angeles (CA) - August 5, 1991

SEARCH FOR SCOUT CUT BACK, OFFICIALS SHUT DOWN FIELD HEADQUARTERS
Searchers looking for a missing 12-year-old Boy Scout scaled back their efforts Sunday, 16 days after the El Monte youth vanished while hiking with his Scout troop in the wilderness of San Bernardino County. Efforts to locate Jared Michael Negrete will continue with aerial searches and foot patrols several times a week, but county officials closed a mountain command post that had been the field headquarters for the search."The command staff feels as if his probability of survival...

[englishleigh]

I pray they find David Gonzales soon, and alive!!!!

[FULCRUM]

http://www.micro-mono.com/microplb/boyscout.pdf

[peggy]

Latest I heard this morning is that one searcher heard a voice calling "daddy" so they are expanding search now, footprint clue turned out to not be productive, but the voice is very good - hope they find him today...

[amandab]

Originally Posted by peggy

Latest I heard this morning is that one searcher heard a voice calling "daddy" so they are expanding search now, footprint clue turned out to not be productive, but the voice is very good - hope they find him today...

I read this story earlier in the news.....it's both encouraging and heartbreaking, knowing he's trying to be found as badly as searchers are trying to find him.

Just a question, though, from a girl who's spent very little time in the thick of the woods....how is it possible that they could hear him but not see him??

[Jeana (DP)]

Originally Posted by amandab

I read this story earlier in the news.....it's both encouraging and heartbreaking, knowing he's trying to be found as badly as searchers are trying to find him.

Just a question, though, from a girl who's spent very little time in the thick of the woods....how is it possible that they could hear him but not see him??

I don't know. Children should be taught, however, that if they are ever lost in the woods, they should NOT walk around. They should stay in one place. He may have walked into a place they just got finished searching and they may not go back there for some time, if ever.

[peggy]

well, no luck today finding him, but found another set of footprints they are checking out, going to search through the night now - authorities seem convinced he wandered away and not victim of foul play - said he could go several days without food, but it seems awfully long now to me..

[Ghostwheel]

Originally Posted by amandab

I read this story earlier in the news.....it's both encouraging and heartbreaking, knowing he's trying to be found as badly as searchers are trying to find him.

Just a question, though, from a girl who's spent very little time in the thick of the woods....how is it possible that they could hear him but not see him??

Sound bounces around, and if the trees are thick, you could be twenty yards away and not see them. Unless you are getting farther away, or closer, you cannot tell exactly where the voice is coming from. When we go out, our whole family wears whistles around our necks, and they don't come off until we get home. You can blow a whistle for a lot longer than you can shout, and the sound is louder. The sound still bounces around, but at least if you blow the whistles back and forth, the lost one knows someone is looking and the looker knows the lost one is still alive.

Yes, children should be taught to find a good place, then stay still and shout every so often. It is so hard to believe that a child could get lost so close to a campsite.

[Jeana (DP)]

I am so frustrated by this missing boy's case. I can't believe they can't find this kid. If they don't get to him in time, its going to rip my heart out.

[peggy]

nothing again today, not searching tonight, footprints didn't amount to anything - LE keeps saying no evidence of kidnapping or foul play, father keeps insisting he was kidnapped or wandered off, but tonight LE saying it was reaching a point where they were questioning his survival probabilities after so long and were going to start using cadaver dogs - other dogs have picked up no scent at all of him, which makes me wonder if he was ever at campground - would think they would have looked at father up one side and down the other though before they engaged in this massive search - very strange, and more sad...

[CaliMom]

Let's hope this is true, but it doesn't say the dog picked his scent.....

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/3623861/detail.html

[BAD_BUTTERFLY]

Can i ask why they wouldn't have put up a helicopter with heat seeking on it, they use em on cops. but they can't use them to find a boy? If they have used them and came up with nothing, then why continue to search that are?