Credit card, clothes found but U.S. man who travelled to B.C. for music festival still missing
Several belongings have been found, but there's still no sign of an American man who crossed the border to attend a music festival, officials said, announcing the suspension of search efforts.
South Columbia Search and Rescue spent four days searching for Harsha Paladugu in the Salmo area of British Columbia, but still haven't been able to find the missing 30-year-old.
In a social media post, SCSAR said its crew and others completed more than 8,000 hours of searching. More than 100 people joined the search over the weekend, undeterred by challenging terrain and high temperatures.
During the massive search effort, crews uncovered some of Paladugu's personal belongings, including clothing, shoes, his credit card and receipts. They said these discoveries helped create a bit of a timeline of his whereabouts and the direction of his travel.
But still, the 30-year-old man from California remains a missing person.
SCSAR announced Sunday night that it's calling off the search, at least for now. Members said the search efforts are suspended until further information is available or more clues are found.
"This is a tough result for not only the subject's family and friends but our searchers who have put countless hours into search efforts," the group wrote on Facebook, where it's been giving regular updates.
The effort to find Paladugu was impressive. In addition to SCSAR, it involved search-and-rescue teams from Rossland, Castlegar, Nelson, Creston, Kaslo, Cranbrook, Kimberly and Grand Forks, some of whom worked overnight so the SCSAR team could start fresh in the morning.
The group thanked the Salmo RCMP for support and help, the residents of the community for co-operating, a school janitor for providing access to washrooms, and the mayor, who supported teams and brought popsicles on Sunday when the temperature in the area climbed to 35 C.
They searched from the air, with an RCMP drone pilot and helicopter, and from the ground, with volunteer searchers and trained dogs. They combed through backyards, sheds and outbuildings, noting Paladugu was reportedly seen running through backyards in the area.
TIMELINE OF DISAPPEARANCE
What's been made public so far in terms of a timeline is that Paladugu flew to Vancouver from California on Wednesday, July 20. He stayed with a friend, and left the next morning, July 21, to go to a music festival in Salmo.
He'd planned to make the eight-hour drive to the Shambhala Music Festival through a ride share. The festival ran July 21 to 25.
According to police, after the festival Paladugu was going to visit a friend in Toronto, but it seems he's still in B.C.
He was seen on July 27, sitting next to a suitcase on the side of the road near the intersection of highways 3 and 6 about 3.5 kilometres south of the festival grounds.
The suitcase was found and confirmed to belong to Paladugu, but there was no sign of the missing man at the time. On the same day, there was a report of a South Asian man running through backyards in Salmo.
Police said they believe it was him, but weren't able to confirm.
If there have been sightings since then, Mounties haven't said. Paladugu was officially reported missing last Thursday.
The SAR efforts started that day, with 28 people spending 10 hours looking for the missing man.
"Unfortunately we were unable to locate Harsha but we did find a significant amount of information and clues that helped us determine his timeline, locations he appeared on video or sightings," SCCAR wrote.
On Saturday, with help from eight SAR teams through the Kootenays, the search ramped up, and was expanded to "all urban homes, yards and properties" in the search area.
Residents were asked to allow SAR to search their properties in a message that included the reminder: "We are not searching properties for any other reason other than looking for our missing person and any findings along our search will not be reported other than our missing person."
That day also included a search from the air, "but unfortunately came up empty."
Sunday was another extensive search, this time including nine SAR teams and many volunteers.
Paladugu remains a missing person.
A photo from South Columbia Search and Rescue shows search efforts for Harsha Paladugu.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.