INNISFAIL – At least 25 Innisfail RCMP members, volunteers and search and rescue personnel are continuing ground searches for an elderly Didsbury woman who has been missing from Gleniffer Lake’s Dickson Point Campground since the morning of Monday, May 29.
“We're not going to discount any possibilities. We really don't know where she went. There are some mental health issues there because of her age,” said RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff. “That would include the lake as well as the ground searches.
“We really want to encourage anybody that lives in this area to check their yards there, any area where she might have bunkered down.”
On Monday RCMP issued a media release seeking the public’s help to find Lorraine Vandenbosch, 78, a resident of Didsbury, who was last seen on May 29 at 10:30 a.m., at the Dickson Point Campground.
Savinkoff said Vandenbosch was with family members at the campground before being reported missing.
RCMP said on May 29 she may have been “confused” at the time of her disappearance.
Innisfail RCMP is the primary investigative lead in the case, said Savinkoff, and Mounties are being assisted by search and rescue teams from Red Deer County, Sundre, and Rocky Mountain House.
Gary Leith, chief of the Innisfail Fire Department, said RCMP contacted his office on Monday for the use of the department's boats in the search and rescue operation. He said Red Deer County boats were also used.
“Some of our firefighters assisted with those search operations until the early hours of this morning,” said Leith, adding there were a total of about eight to 10 Innisfail firefighters helping the search and rescue operation on Monday.
He added his firefighters have since returned to Innisfail and the operation is now being overseen exclusively by the RCMP and assisting search and rescue teams.
Savinkoff said RCMP members have already conducted interviews with other campers and any nearby residents who live near the scene.
“These would be done right at the onset; the very basic first things that those members would do,” he said.
RCMP is asking residents in the Gleniffer Lake, Dickson, Spruce View, and nearby areas to check their properties, including treed outcroppings and outbuildings for Vandenbosch.
As for how long the search and rescue operation will continue that decision is being left to the search managers at the scene, said Savinkoff.
He said there’s extensive research being used and as time goes by the search area starts to increase.
“Typically, what we find in most of these cases is that the people are located early nearby,” said Savinkoff. "There's a lot of factors that can change the distance that you would search, and those managers are looking at those, and using them to dictate the searches now.
“There does come a time when you can't search forever,” he added. “But certainly they are going to be putting their best effort forward to try to find her safely.”
Vandenbosch is described as five-feet tall with red hair and light complexion. She was last seen wearing white pants, white and black shirt, black runners and a cream coloured hat.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Vandenbosch is asked to contact the Innisfail RCMP detachment at 403-227-3342. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the P3 Tips app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
