NV NV - Aidan Clune, 19, from CA, got gas at Wendover, car fnd on US-93 near Currie, 26 Apr 2022

[annpats]

Searching for elk antlers that have been shed.

Ahhh, antler hunting. Got it.....thank you!

 

[Known]

Ahhh, antler hunting. Got it.....thank you!

Apparently there is money in it, but traipsing through the high desert looking for animal parts beats the heck out of me!

 

[GMS]

Mom posted this morning that the search continues. She did add the tidbit "small chance he may be with someone." No other update or information as to why they think he may not be alone, however unlikely, that may be.

 

[Known]

Here is a link to the most recent news article. It is dated May 5th.

Search for missing 19-year-old enters second week

ELKO – The search for a missing 19-year-old from California entered its second week Thursday in a remote part of southern Elko County.

elkodaily.com

 

[Tig7]

I just came across this article in the Sonoma Index-Tribune:

Nevada authorities release timeline of missing Sonoma teen’s last day before his disappearance

Elko County Sheriff’s prepare a final search on Saturday for Aiden Clune, a Sonoma Valley teenager who has been missing since April 27. The case has stumped deputies who say Clune walked 21 miles into the desert without stopping.

www.sonomanews.com

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I just came across this article in the Sonoma Index-Tribune:

Nevada authorities release timeline of missing Sonoma teen’s last day before his disappearance

Elko County Sheriff’s prepare a final search on Saturday for Aiden Clune, a Sonoma Valley teenager who has been missing since April 27. The case has stumped deputies who say Clune walked 21 miles into the desert without stopping.

www.sonomanews.com

So sad. I'm reminded of Barbara Thomas, who disappeared in the low desert during a short hike a few years ago. Many of us thought there must have been foul play since it seemed too open an area for her to have just gotten lost making her way back to her RV.

The Occam's razor explanation for Aiden's disappearance seems like it might turn out to be similar -- maybe he got out and tried to walk to a high spot for better cell reception, then simply got turned around and lost and couldn't find his way back to the highway?

MOO of course. I hope he is found soon.

 

[GMS]

I was unable to read the Sonoma-Index Tribune article, non-subscriber, wondering if anything unusual stood out in the timeline? Or if this truly may have been an accident where Aiden broke-down and/or went for a hike and has succumb to the elements.

 

[Tig7]

I was able to open the full article in Firefox's private browsing mode. That usually works for subscription papers.

Here is timeline stated in the article:

At 6:23 a.m. on April 27, Clune was seen on video surveillance footage leaving a hotel room alone from the high desert town of Wells, Nev., according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Related Stories​

Missing Sonoma teen last seen in Nevada​

The population of Wells is just over 1,000 people, but it’s the crossing point between two major highways; the east-to-west Interstate 80, and U.S. Route 93, which travels north-to-south. That Wednesday morning, Clune drove his 2007 red Nissan Frontier south along U.S. Route 93.


Shortly after 8 a.m., Clune stopped his truck near the town of Currie, which is considered a ghost town with a population of just 20 people.


The town sits just over 5,000-feet above sea level, and the mountains that surround the west side of U.S. Route 93 climb more than 8,000 feet into the eastern Nevada sky. The weather was fair that Wednesday morning, despite it being a chilly 44 degrees when Clune allegedly stopped his vehicle.



It remains unclear why Clune pulled over on the shoulder of the road, Ames said. And without criminal suspicion in the case, authorities say they are unable to break into the vehicle to look for clues.


Without keys to start the car or open the doors, it is not known if his truck ran out of gas or broke down, Ames said. Authorities have asked Clune’s mother for a set of spare keys, but have not received any so far.


But the high desert of northeast Nevada regularly plunges to 20 degrees at night and Clune was protected only by a black Northface jacket and black, high-top sneakers, according to Ames.

At 8:50 a.m., a Nevada Highway Patrol officer discovered Clune’s Nissan Frontier on the side of the highway but did not see the shaggy headed, 125-pound 19-year-old Sonoma resident.

As the investigation continued, authorities learned that Clune ran from his vehicle and headed into nearby hills. Law enforcement officials are still piecing together why.

“The tracks showed he ran away and crawled through bushes,” Ames said.

Clune took only his phone from his vehicle, leaving behind his wallet, a knife and the rest of his belongings in his car, which officers could see through the windows.

Gusts of wind up to 31 miles per hour began to buffer the area that afternoon, and the temperature began to plunge at 7 p.m. and grew colder than 40 degrees that night.

At 8:07 p.m., the last “ping” from Clune’s cellphone showed his location southwest of where his vehicle was abandoned, Ames wrote in an email to the Index-Tribune. Citing Clune’s mother, Ames said Clune’s phone showed his last Google search was for spark plug replacement.

The search for Clune will continue this Saturday, which will mark the 17th day the Sonoma Valley teenager has been missing.

“I’ve spent my whole career helping people in these situations,” Ames said about people being stranded on the highway. “We believe there’s a reason he took off into the desert, we just don’t know why.”

 

[GMS]

Thanks for sharing @Tig7 .

Interesting that LE notes “The tracks showed he ran away and crawled through bushes."

Was he, Aiden, experiencing some kind of mental breakdown or did someone scare / threaten him if they stopped to "provide assistance" while he was parked on the shoulder of the road.

 

[Known]

Latest article (May 11th) in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

Nevada authorities outline Sonoma teen’s last moves before he disappeared

If searchers can’t find Clune on Saturday, the investigation will move from “search and rescue” to “recovery,” officials said.

www.pressdemocrat.com

This Saturday will be the final full-scale search. After that, efforts will be in the nature of recovery rather than rescue.

 

[Sonoma Mommy]

So sad. I'm reminded of Barbara Thomas, who disappeared in the low desert during a short hike a few years ago. Many of us thought there must have been foul play since it seemed too open an area for her to have just gotten lost making her way back to her RV.

The Occam's razor explanation for Aiden's disappearance seems like it might turn out to be similar -- maybe he got out and tried to walk to a high spot for better cell reception, then simply got turned around and lost and couldn't find his way back to the highway?

MOO of course. I hope he is found soon.

I took an interest at what you wrote about Barbara and found an article. Looks like her husband failed a polygraph and he then hired a lawyer. Awful!

Remains of woman lost in Mojave Desert last year found

A Bullhead City woman who went missing in the Mojave Desert more than a year ago have been found.

www.havasunews.com

I wonder what Aiden was running from? Praying for him

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I took an interest at what you wrote about Barbara and found an article. Looks like her husband failed a polygraph and he then hired a lawyer. Awful!

Remains of woman lost in Mojave Desert last year found

A Bullhead City woman who went missing in the Mojave Desert more than a year ago have been found.

www.havasunews.com

Yes there was an active thread here on WS about her at the time, and many folks were wary of the husband because he was very awkward on camera.

But once her remains were found it became fairly clear she had truly either just gotten lost or was overcome by heat. Even though it seemed like too open an area to get lost. Which is why I was thinking a similar thing could have happened to Aiden in a different but still harsh environment. MOO

If you want to read the Barbara Thomas WS thread, here is where it starts: CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

 

[Sonoma Mommy]

Yes there was an active thread here on WS about her at the time, and many folks were wary of the husband because he was very awkward on camera.

But once her remains were found it became fairly clear she had truly either just gotten lost or was overcome by heat. Even though it seemed like too open an area to get lost. Which is why I was thinking a similar thing could have happened to Aiden in a different but still harsh environment. MOO

If you want to read the Barbara Thomas WS thread, here is where it starts: CA - CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, Bullhead City, hiking wearing bikini in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019

Thank you!

 

[vls12345]

I found this article last night.
Washoe County Sheriff's Office investigating after body found in Pyramid Lake

The article has been updated to say it was the body of a 70-year-old woman.

 

[azure]

Thanks for sharing @Tig7 .

Interesting that LE notes “The tracks showed he ran away and crawled through bushes."

Was he, Aiden, experiencing some kind of mental breakdown or did someone scare / threaten him if they stopped to "provide assistance" while he was parked on the shoulder of the road.

He's at the age where mental health issues often become most apparent. My guess is that the whole trip was the result of a mental break, and as it worsened, he became so paranoid that he ran into the bushes and perished from cold.

 

[vls12345]

Have you guys heard of this? It popped up when I was searching for I 80 and US93 and where they intersected.

The Stories Behind These Unsolved Murders Along One Nevada Highway Are Truly Sinister

Horrible and creepy.

I wonder if LE are currently pursuing murders and disappearances in that area as the possible workings of a serial killer?

 

[j_in_c]

Horrible and creepy.

I wonder if LE are currently pursuing murders and disappearances in that area as the possible workings of a serial killer?

In this instance, if the trackers are able to determine he was running, they certainly would have noted a second set of tracks near his car or off into the woods. I wonder if that article stating that tracked him for 21 miles is a typo - that is an unreal distance to have covered especially as a search operation. Hoping luck is on the side of the searchers today and they can bring him home.

 

[annpats]

The crawling through bushes is the most terrifying part.
I wonder if it was mental breakdown, drug use or an attack by a perp?

However, I would have thought that the trackers would have been able to notice a 2nd set of someone else's footprints.....and as nothing was mentioned about this, I presume Aiden was by himself.

And by himself means there was no perp.

MOO.

 

[Known]

A vigil will be held for Aidan Clune, the missing Sonoma teenager who has been missing in Nevada since April 27, before Nevada authorities launch a search party on Saturday.

The vigil will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday at Sonoma Plaza, and Aidan Clune’s mother, Amy Clune, asked vigil attendees to pray for the safe return of her son and the success of Elko County authorities in their search and rescue efforts.

“I ask all to pray for my beloved son Aidan to be found during Saturday’s search operation,” Clune wrote to the Index-Tribune. “I especially entreat those who knew him best: his family, his friends, teachers, coworkers, and customers who knew him to be a pleasant and hard worker. Pray for his safety. Pray for the searchers, on foot and horseback.”

Elko County Undersheriff Justin Ames said Saturday’s search would likely be the last search and rescue attempt by authorities before the case moves into a recovery effort.

Vigil set for missing Sonoma teen

Aidan Clune has been missing in the east Nevada wilderness since April 27. His family members and the community will hold a vigil Friday night at Sonoma Plaza.

www.petaluma360.com

 

[Known]

Horrible and creepy.

I wonder if LE are currently pursuing murders and disappearances in that area as the possible workings of a serial killer?

Currie is a ghost town with only 20 residents. 64 miles to the north you have Wells, NV with a population of 1,090, and 75 miles to the south you have Ely with a population of 3,990. His truck was parked miles to the north of Currie in the middle of high desert nowhere. There's nothing there but jackrabbits, pocket gophers, and the coyotes and badgers that hunt them. Slim pickings for a serial killer.