Search Continues for Missing Boy Scout

Mar 19, 09:30 PM

Current Headlines: CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Rescuers planned to search through the night for a 12-year-old Boy Scout who has been missing in a mountainous, heavily wooded area of Western North Carolina since Saturday.

Search crews blocked off the perimeter of Doughton Park in Wilkes County and used heat-sensing equipment and dogs in the dark after a daylight search on Monday found no signs of Michael Auberry.

Michael was on a camping trip with a group of six Boy Scouts and at least three adult leaders when he apparently wandered away about 1 p.m. Saturday.

Scout leaders say Michael was last seen at lunch with the rest of the group. Most of the Scouts went on a hike early Saturday morning, but Michael stayed at the campsite with one of the adult leaders, saying he wanted to sleep in.

The Scouts returned from their hike and ate lunch with Michael, who disappeared while the Scouts were eating, said Dave Weldon, Catawba County EMS director who led the search on Saturday and Sunday.

Michael may have gotten disoriented or just walked away, Weldon said.

Adults involved in the Boy Scouts are taught to follow "Two-Deep Leadership," which mandates that at least two adults _ age 21 or older _ be present for all camps, trips and outdoor activities. To prevent abuse, the organization prohibits one-on-one contact between a scout and an adult.

But John Akerman, scout executive with the Occoneechee Council, which governs scouting in 12 counties in the Raleigh-Durham area, said it would make sense to leave one adult behind with one scout if the others go together with the other adults on a hike or other activity.

Wilkes County authorities issued a missing-person alert on Sunday to notify counties across the state that Michael was missing, but reports that they issued an Amber Alert were not true, said National Park Service spokesperson Tina White.

Searchers used heat sensors from aircraft to look for Michael, White said. The cooler temperatures at night make body heat easier to detect and also make a person's scent more detectable to dogs, said White.

Monday's search, the second full day, included more than 70 rescuers from surrounding counties.

Boy Scouts from across the state showed up to help but were turned away because they were not trained to search. "People are calling in, asking if they can help, and (rescuers are) just taking numbers so they can call back in a couple of days," said Brendan Turner, leader of Troop 451 of Durham.

Offers of help have come from as far away as Kentucky, White said, but only trained searchers were used on Monday because untrained volunteers could get lost or injured themselves in the steep and difficult terrain.

Although temperatures dipped into the 20s overnight and were expected to fall that low again Monday night or Tuesday morning, authorities were optimistic that they would find him. Michael was wearing at least three layers of clothing: a base layer, a fleece and a winter jacket, White said.

"We'd had a lot of people who have been out a week or longer in colder conditions," White said.

He also had been on several camping trips before and had received some training in wilderness survival skills, she said.

Michael's parents were on the scene with rescuers Monday. They have been giving authorities information about their son, including how he might react and what his likely next steps might be, White said.

Rescuers have been trying to determine what moves Michael might make, based on his age and personality.

About a dozen family members and friends were also at the rescue base to support the Auberrys. David Millsaps goes to church with them at Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro and said he went to a service with more than 300 people on Sunday to pray for Michael.

Millsaps said Michael's parents are hopeful and have a lot of support. "I think they're bolstered by a lot of prayers," he said.

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