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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.