Air patrol calls off search

HAYDEN — Personnel, aircraft and vehicles from Idaho and Washington units of the Civil Air Patrol are suspending their efforts in the multi-agency search for Lyle O. Anderson, 86, of Hayden, who has been missing since June 7.

“We have made the decision to suspend our search efforts for Mr. Lyle Anderson, who is presumed to be missing in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest. This was a tough decision to make, but I feel that unless new information is obtained, we have currently exhausted the likelihood of finding him through our efforts. I am saddened that we were not able to help this family,” said Capt. Randy McLain, Civil Air Patrol incident commander, in a news release.

McLain said this was the largest search effort in the Coeur d’Alene Squadron that he’s seen in nine years with the squadron.

“The search area was almost entirely within the Coeur d’Alene National Forest that encompasses 1,135 square miles of rugged, heavily forested mountainous terrain. This terrain, and turbulence caused by the weather and winds made searching this terrain very challenging,” McLain said. “While it is very unfortunate we were unable to locate Mr. Anderson, I am very proud of the effort put forth by our squadron during this mission. The days were long, and the flights were often challenging, but everyone involved put forth a great effort.”