It was around 9:30 p.m. November 14, 2022, when Patuanak RCMP received a missing persons report from a concerned community member. A 60-year-old male was out hunting with a friend and hadn't responded in over thirty minutes to attempts by his friend to guide him out of the thick woods and back to the main road. He was considered missing.
Patuanak is located approximately 400 kilometers north of North Battleford. The man was last seen approximately 40 kilometers south of Patuanak in a remote area. With four years of service all in northern Saskatchewan, Cst. Kirk Ingham is currently the acting corporal at Patuanak RCMP Detachment.
Cst. Ingham led the search response. "(The missing man) wasn't new to the bush, but anytime someone's not heard from in the wilderness, it's a big deal. Based on the community response, wanting to help, they knew this is a dire situation. If he wasn't found that night, the situation would be different in the morning."
Who can help?
One Patuanak RCMP officer departed immediately for the location where the man was last seen and two others gathered equipment - snacks, drinks, flares, flashlights and a thermal camera– before they departed for the area.
"We filled our vehicle with fuel as we didn't know how long we'd be there," shares Cst. Ingham. "We ran into a member of the Canadian Rangers and they were loading up with similar supplies and making their way to assist as well."
One thing on everyone's mind was the remoteness of the location: it would take time for additional support services to arrive to provide help.
While driving to the location, Cst. Ingham made several phone calls for assistance. If the search went on for some time, especially given the cold, more help would be needed. Beauval RCMP Detachment assisted by dispatching more police officers. Meadow Lake RCMP Police Dog Services and Protection and Response Team conservation officers with the Provincial Protective Services Branch were contacted to help.
No response
Patuanak RCMP officers began by speaking with the missing man's hunting partner and located where the man entered the woods.
"We didn't really have too much to go off of. One had one guy who'd seen him that day, which was his hunting buddy there," says Cst. Ingham. "He did have a few survival equipment with him. A little bit of equipment to make a fire, he had a machete. He only had one bottle of water and a thermos full of tea as far as liquids go, so we figured he was running low on that."
They tried communicating with the missing man again. After five minutes with no response and knowing time was of the essence, Cst. Ingham made the decision to have two RCMP officers enter the wooded area 2-300 meters first, armed with flashlights and flares to see if they could hear any verbal calls.
Muskeg and wolves
Cst. Ingham explains that although this was a missing person investigation, its unique because there are bushes, it's the middle of the night, in the winter of northern Saskatchewan.
"Northern Saskatchewan can be very treacherous, even for an experienced person," he shares. "Being so far north, we get dark extremely quick. By the time we got the call, it was already completely dark. No ambient light coming in. The sun had set and was long set. We knew we had to get out there right away, because as the sun stays set, even when we have a mild day, temperature-wise, when night rolls around and that sun goes away, it can get extremely cold."
The terrain is very dense brush with lots of pine trees, lots of ground cover and deadfall. One other consideration the officers had is the muskeg blanketing the area. Someone could unknowingly step into it and become injured, "And if you fall through, you don't know how deep it is," adds Cst. Ingham. "At the end of the day, in that temperature, what's really going to scare you is going to be getting wet and having to try and keep yourself warm after being soaking wet."
Luckily being winter, bears are hibernating and not a concern. Wolves were a concern however, as they grow large and had been seen in the area.
"…we started hearing a faint response…"
After ten minutes of walking in the trees, the two RCMP officers used a flare to indicate to the man where they were coming from and tried making verbal communication with him. It was around this time that one of the officers, Cst. Zach Mann, heard something, "We had a couple flares and followed the trail and called out his name. We followed the trail. 2- 300 yards in, we started hearing a faint response to our calls."
Back at the road, Cst. Ingham was organising the people who had gathered to search. A coordinated approach was necessary so tracks into the woods wouldn't inundate or throw off RCMP Police Dog Services when they arrived.
Cst. Mann and another officer were still in the woods, following the voice they'd heard, "I couldn't quite make out what he was saying. It could've been 'hey' or 'over here'. When we first heard it, it was very faint. I was the only one to hear it. The other (officer) didn't hear it...we were able to keep calling him and eventually get a sense of his direction, where his voice was coming from. 500 yards in, we were able to hear him better. Once we could get him loud enough, we came off the trail and were able to locate him."
"Teamwork was extremely essential"
Another 10-15 minutes of walking into the trees, the two officers located the missing man.
"You could tell he was soaking wet, was asking for water," remembers Cst. Mann. "We were able to follow our path back. There was a lot of deadfall. Its easy to lose your trail if you're not careful. (Cst. Ingham) flipped on the (police vehicle) sirens a few times to help with sense of direction."
The missing man was able to slowly walk out of the forest on his own with the two officers.
"There was concern for officer safety, sending our police officers into the bush," shares Cst. Ingham. "It was a lot to coordinate and I was so happy other supports were on their way. (The missing man) seemed a little bit shaken up for sure, his pants were so soaking wet and frozen, they were stiff into peaks. And having my two (officers) come out of there, unscathed and not too cold and safe was another big thing for me, too."
Having less than three months of service as a police officer, Cst. Mann reflects on how critical teamwork is in a situation like this. "Teamwork was extremely essential," he shares. "The great thing about small, northern detachments is that even though you're brand new, you're still essential. There are no specialized resources you can get right away. You're going to be one of the (officers) that's responding. You have to learn as you go."
The missing man emerged from the trees and was given a warm ride back to the community by family.
Cst. Ingham recalls the reactions when he provided updates from his radio to everyone waiting roadside, "Even his hunting buddy who's one of his really good friends, when I said that we can hear him, they're hearing his voice, they found him, they're in there, we're going to make sure he's safe. I could see the smile come back for the first time since we were out there, knowing his friend was going to be safe and he was located."