Rescuers hold out hope for Boy Scout

Heat sensors used for search during night

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

McGRADY - Rescuers searched 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 Doughton Park in Wilkes County, about 90 miles north of Charlotte, and used heat-sensing equipment and dogs in the dark after a daylight search on Monday did not locate Michael Auberry.

Michael was on a camping trip with a group of about six Boy Scouts and 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. The Scouts went on a hike early Saturday morning, but Michael stayed at the campsite with one adult leader, saying he wanted to sleep in.

The Scouts returned and ate lunch with Michael, who disappeared while the Scouts were eating, said Dave Weldon, Catawba County EMS director. 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 be present for all camps, trips and outdoor activities. The organization prohibits one-on-one situations between a scout and an adult.

But John Akerman, scout executive with the Raleigh-Durham area Occoneechee Council, said it would make sense to leave one adult behind with one scout if the other scouts are with other adults on an activity.

Wilkes County authorities issued a missing-person alert on Sunday that Michael was missing, said National Park Service spokesperson Tina White.

Searchers used heat sensors from aircraft overnight, White said. Auberry's mother, Debbie Hayes, told the Winston-Salem Journal that Michael had only potato chips to eat and no water. She also said he takes Ritalin for attention-deficit disorder.

Monday's search 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.

Offers of help have come from as far away as Kentucky, White said, but only trained searchers were used Monday.

Although temperatures were expected to dip into the 20s overnight, Michael's base layer, fleece and winter jacket should keep him warm, White said. "We've had a lot of people who have been out a week or longer in colder conditions," White said.


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