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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.