WV WV - Wes Blackburn, 38, abandoned Blackhawk underground mine, Wharton, Boone County, 26 Nov 2018

[cybervampira]

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...-begins-for-missing-man-in-abandoned-wva-mine

A West Virginia mine rescue team is searching an abandoned coal mine for a man who was reported missing.

“One gentleman did come out of the mine,” said Eugene White, director of the state Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training. “They arrested him. He said ‘My buddy was with me and I don’t know where he went.’

The issue arose Monday when a woman parked on mine property, White said. Officials approached to ask why she was there.

“This lady was confused and said her friends were in the abandoned mine,” White said.

State Miner's Health, Safety and Training director Eugene White says in a news release the effort began Thursday with Blackhawk Mining to enter the company's former underground mine in Wharton. The mine was closed in 1998 and has been sealed.

The statement says law enforcement efforts to locate the man above ground were exhausted Wednesday. The statement didn't release the man's name.



Search begins for missing West Virginia man in abandoned coal mine

WV MetroNews – Rescuers may go after man reported missing in W.Va. mine

 

[cybervampira]

MP is now named:

Copper theft suspect sought in abandoned West Virginia mine

Boone County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Chad Barker identified the suspect as 38-year-old Wes Blackburn of Oceana. Barker says two others arrested Monday near the mine indicated Blackburn had gone inside. Barker says all three are suspected of stealing copper and have been charged.

 

[cybervampira]

Rescue team plans to search inside abandoned Boone County mine for missing man

Boone County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Chad Barker said two people, Amanda Pennington and Gary Gibson, were arrested Monday evening near the mine entrance. Pennington was arrested on a felony conspiracy charge, and Gibson on a breaking and entering charge.

 

[cybervampira]

His Facebook:


Wes Blackburn

 

[GraceG]

I hope the rescue team members don't suffer an injury - I know they are trained but those mines are incredibly dangerous.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Oh, thanks for posting this. I was reading about it yesterday when they were debating whether or not to enter the mine.

I guess it's a go. Sending prayers.

 

[cybervampira]

Rescue workers searching abandoned, sealed mine for missing man wanted by police

[...]

“It’s really, really a terrible idea,” Boone County Chief Deputy Chad Barker told WSAZ with regard to the plan to steal copper. “That’s probably the understatement of the year.”


Two officials from the State of Utah look over a tunnel several miles into the mountain at the Sufco Coal Mine, 30 miles east of Salina, Utah, on May 28, 2014. On Thursday morning, a rescue team entered a sealed mine in West Virginia to search for a missing man.

Faced with the decision on whether officials would enter the mine, White explained there were serious matters to consider. He acknowledged to WSAZ that there was potentially a human life at risk, but added that there were grave dangers associated with going into the mine.

“This mine has been sealed for quite a while,” he said. “You’ve got potential roof falls. You have potential dangerous gas levels. Water. You don’t know what you’re running into with a mine that’s been sealed.

After officials from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the MHST met, the decision was made on Wednesday evening to go into the mine on Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. EST. Smith told Newsweek that the decision was made after all above ground efforts to find the missing man were exhausted and reiterated the potential dangers.

[...]

 

[cybervampira]

UPDATE: Rescuers search for wanted man in abandoned WV coal mine

[...]

Officials spent time reviewing maps of the mine, but conditions inside the mine, which closed in 1998 and has been sealed, are unknown.

“When operations cease and a mine is sealed, conditions can deteriorate very quickly,” White stated in a news release.

“Roof falls, toxic levels of gas, flooding and other dangers may exist. We will take every measure possible to ensure the safety of the rescuers entering the mine.”

[...]

 

[cybervampira]

UPDATE: Rescuers complete abandoned mine search for missing man

UPDATE 11/29/18 @ 3:30 p.m.
A search for a man reported missing in a Boone County coal mine has been completed, the county sheriff's department says Thursday afternoon.

The missing man was identified as Wes Blackburn of Oceana. In addition to the search, there’s an active warrant for his arrest.

Another man, identified as Gary Gibson of Oceana, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering.

Investigators say they didn't find anything during Thursday's search. Gibson had told investigators that Blackburn was with him and later vanished.

There is no word at this time if the search will resume at a later date. Keep checking the WSAZ App and WSAZ.com for the latest information.

[...]

 

[Mercedes]

Missing man’s mother speaks out.

Rescue team said they could not search the entire mine because they came upon a roof collapse and it was too dangerous to go past it.

UPDATE: Rescuers complete abandoned mine search for missing man; another man arrested

 

[PinkPrincessPoop]

They went into the mine to.....steal copper? Interesting folk....

 

[charminglane]

They went into the mine to.....steal copper? Interesting folk....

Copper is stolen and sold for cash for drugs.

 

[Blueberry2720]

What does it mean to seal a mine? I take it to mean the entrance is somehow rendered impassable to prevent anyone going in. So how did these people get in? Not sure I get this, unless the sealed entrance was somehow comprised over the years since being sealed.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Mother of missing Boone County man hoping for answers

 

[GraceG]

What does it mean to seal a mine? I take it to mean the entrance is somehow rendered impassable to prevent anyone going in. So how did these people get in? Not sure I get this, unless the sealed entrance was somehow comprised over the years since being sealed.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration requires the sealing by law. The leakage of gas, apparently, is a risk for explosion not to mention the risk for injuries for people just exploring. I couldn't find the link for it but I watched a video recently of professional trackers that were looking in various sealed mines for a body of a woman that went missing, believed murdered and placed in a mine. They could easily breach the seal with some tools, and an axe.

 

[Mercedes]

Mine safety officials explain why mine search was called off —
Crews went 1,000 feet into the abandoned mine but called off the search due to safety concerns. Because there is only one way in and one way out and due to roof falls, they elected to abandon the search.
White, Office of Miner’s Health Safety and Training, said they are treating this as a missing person. He noted that there was evidence of persons having been in the mine, but they did not locate anyone.

WV MetroNews – Mine safety official explains why mine search was called off

 

[JerseyGirl]

Family seeks help to find missing loved one

Just days after mine rescue teams found three people who were missing in a Raleigh County mine, one family is asking questions regarding the efforts made to find their loved one. Wes Blackburn was last seen on Nov. 25, 2018.

It was believed that Blackburn went into the Wells Complex Mine with a friend. The friend came out of the mine but told officials Blackburn went back inside. Three rescuers went into the mine on Nov. 29 but were not able to locate Blackburn.

Since that time, a major rescue effort was made to find another group of people who went into a mine in Raleigh County. Those people were all found, but the family of Wes Blackburn is asking why similar efforts were not made to find him.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Family of missing man organizes protest in Boone County

To drive their message home, the family has organized a protest in front of the Boone County Courthouse in Madison, WV. They lined up on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 with signs. Some of those read "His Family Needs Answers," and "Hey Jim, Where is Justice for Wes?"

 

[moonriverfarm]

Where in the mine is copper? And weren't several other people lost in a mine recently and suspected of the same thing?

 

[doodles1211]

Prayer service tonight for missing Wyoming County man