Crews search lake near Ketchikan for missing woman

3 months ago

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A hunt is underway for a missing Ketchikan woman. 48-year-old Christiana Watt was reported missing astir 8 p.m. Monday nighttime adjacent Ward Lake, a very celebrated recreation area northbound of town. According to Alaska State Troopers, Watt’s car – a metallic Range Rover Evoque – was located successful nan parking batch of nan Ward Lake recreation area pinch her telephone and wallet inside.

Troopers person collaborated pinch nan U.S. Forest Service and nan Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad successful searching nan area.

“Last night, we sent our hasty teams retired and crushed teams retired and searched beautiful overmuch each of nan surrounding trails,” said North Tongass occurrence main Jerry Kiffer, who useful pinch nan unpaid rescue squad. “We were operating until astir two, 3 o’clock successful nan morning.”

Kiffer said they covered astir of nan hiking trails successful nan hours aft Watt was reported missing. On Tuesday, nan troopers brought successful a canine hunt and rescue squad from Juneau called SEADOGS to thief canvas nan heavy timbered area.

Kiffer said nary 1 had seen Watt nan time her car was recovered astatine Ward Lake aliases nan the erstwhile day. But hours earlier troopers declared her missing, location was a ping from her Apple Watch.

“Which we now cognize was (Bluetooth-connected) to nan compartment phone, and that Apple Watch confirmed that she was location – aliases nan Apple Watch was location – astatine astir 12:30 successful nan afternoon,” Kiffer said.

The U.S. Forest Service has advised group to debar nan Ward Lake area while nan hunt is underway. Kiffer said they are concentrating their hunt connected nan shorelines of nan reservoir and its tributaries by foot, by boat, and by helicopter. They are besides searching Ward Cove – wherever h2o flows from nan reservoir into nan Tongass Narrows.

The hunt teams person recovered respective clues, Kiffer said, but nary that tin beryllium straight linked to Watt yet. It’s chartless what she was wearing erstwhile she disappeared.

Kiffer added that nan Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad and State Troopers are willing successful talking to anybody that was retired successful nan Ward Lake area betwixt nan greeting and day connected Monday and whitethorn person seen a achromatic female, pinch long, brownish hair, aliases anyone swimming successful nan lake, chiefly connected nan northbound extremity adjacent nan time usage area.

At this time, troopers aren’t considering Watt’s disappearance suspicious.

Troopers inquire that anyone who has interaction pinch aliases accusation astir Watt is asked to interaction troopers’ Ketchikan station astatine 907-225-5118.