New Garza lead prompts search of Otter Creek but nothing turns up
By MEGAN JAMES
MIDDLEBURY — Just past midnight last Friday morning the Middlebury Police Department and two Vermont State Police troopers floodlit a portion of the Otter Creek behind the baseball diamond at Middlebury Union High School and scanned the water for signs of missing Middlebury College student Nicholas Garza.
They were called to the site after a search and rescue agency from Maine, which had been taking photographs of the river in an aerial assessment on Thursday, identified a suspicious object in its photos late Thursday night.
But after two hours probing the dark water — and at the end of another search of the area led by the Colchester Technical Rescue Squad from 6:30 a.m. until sunset on Friday — authorities were no closer to solving the mystery of the 19-year-old’s disappearance.
It was about a week ago that the Maine agency, Down East Emergency Medical Institute (DEEMI), contacted Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley offering to help. DEEMI volunteers spent Thursday flying at about 500 feet over the Otter Creek and a portion of Lake Champlain, snapping hundreds of photographs along the way.
“The cameras, by virtue of the lighting conditions, can pick up objects as low as 15 feet below the surface of the water,” Hanley explained on Friday afternoon.
At the end of the day DEEMI flew back to Maine where an analyst went through the pictures for suspicious objects.
“In one of their early images they found an object in the water in this area,” Hanley said, referring to a section of the river behind the high school that until now has not been searched. “They didn’t know what it was. Clearly it wasn’t a rock or a tree; it was just a foreign object.”
The DEEMI analyst called the Middlebury police with GPS (global positioning system) coordinates around midnight, and the police went straight to the scene, Hanley said.
“We were probably here about two hours until we just had to call it off because we just couldn’t see anything,” he said. “We brought in some really bright lights but they would reflect off the water. The lower intensity lights couldn’t penetrate the water. And the current is really moving.”
Around 6:30 a.m. Friday morning they returned to the site and were joined by the Colchester squad, which was on its way to Wardsboro to look for a missing kayaker. By the time they were set up to search the Otter Creek, the kayaker was found — so the squad stayed in Middlebury and searched the rest of the day.
Around 2 p.m. a National Guard helicopter from Burlington joined the river search. But after about an hour and a half, finding nothing, it wrapped up the mission.
Hanley stressed that when police began searching, more than 12 hours had passed since DEEMI took the photographs; the fast-moving current could easily have swept an object downstream during that time.
For this reason, the river search is far from over, an Hanley said that the Saranac, N.Y., Fire Department Technical Rescue team that searched the Otter Creek below the Middlebury Falls on April 9 and 10 could return.
“These are tough conditions to search,” he said. “It’s deep, fast moving. It doesn’t end with this search. We have tentative plans to bring Saranac back. Colchester’s coming back. We’re going to bring Stowe Technical Rescue. Obviously their priority is life-saving emergencies. They have to deploy to those first. And you have to keep in mind these guys all have full-time jobs. So they just can’t be out here every day as much as we like.”
DEEMI will continue to help, as well.
“There’s still a lot of image stuff to be done,” Hanley said. “If they call us tonight at 2 in the morning and say we found another object of interest we’d all be rushing out here.”
On Friday afternoon another ground search with the VSP search and rescue team was tentatively scheduled for Saturday.
In Garza’s hometown of Albuquerque, N.M., this weekend, the Middlebury College men’s rugby team played its opening game of the 2008 Division II National Championship, dedicating the match to Garza.
“We feel like this is an opportunity to show our support for Nick’s family and friends in his hometown,” assistant coach and recent Middlebury College graduate Josh Hendrickson said in a press release. “We want people to know we’re thinking about him.”
Garza’s mother, Natalie Garza, who has been living in Middlebury since filing a missing persons report with the Middlebury Police on Feb. 10 — Garza was last seen leaving a dorm on Feb. 5 — is currently planning a volunteer ground search for her 19-year-old son. A definitive date has yet to be announced, but the search will take place on an upcoming weekend.
Those interested in joining the effort should contact her at nickgarza.search@gmail.com.
The Addison Independent
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DEEMI contacted the family on April 15 (I have the email), it sat on the chief´s desk for days, until we had to remind him to respond. As with many other outside agencies that have tried to help, he continues to block anyone who wishes to refute his theory that Nick was a drunk college kid who fell, hit his head, and is now in a snowbank. Without a snowbank, he is lost. As from the beginning.
Oh Bull
You are a piece of work and need to go back to where ever you came from. Why does everything have to be the families idea?? You the only person on this planet with a brain or what? Your just a hateful, spiteful man.
Yes?
I am only stating facts. My comments are not based on hate or spite, they are facts.
We are just trying to find Nick; despite all that is against us.
What is ""bull"?
What part of Mr. Hunter's post is "bull"? Are you saying that he is lying? If so, how do you know?
He is a "piece of work"? Why? Because he is dedicated to finding his missing nephew? Because he wants to make sure the family's side of the story is accurately represented in the media? Because he says critical things about Chief Hanlon?
The family aren't the only ones questioning the way in which the Middlebury PD have handled this case. Your childish xenophobic jabbing doesn't change that. Besides which, I think you need to reread the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It doesn't include a bit about 'public criticism of law enforcement excluded'.
Question
This is simply a question, if the letter did sit on Chief Hanleys desk for a couple days, why were the officers dispatched in the middle of the night. I mean maybe Chief Hanley was at the office, but I highly doubt it. It just seems that if it had been sitting on the desk, a search would have been done during the day instead of in the middle of the night.
Re: Question
The request from DEEMI to do the fly-over was waiting for an answer, not the results from DEEMI.
TODD
If you received an email on the 15th and the aircraft was in the air on the 17th, how in the hell could it sit on the Chiefs desk for days???????? Good lord, you contradict yourself more than once in your posts. You better practice what your going to say before you type in untrue information!
And what would Nick think? He would think the next time I shouldn't consume so much alcohol and when I leave my room I better take my coat.
The request from DEEMI to
The request from DEEMI to do the fly-over was waiting for an answer, not the results from DEEMI.
Gee did it ever occur to you that Chief Hanley arrainged the DEEMI expedition? Or the fact that when DEEMI sent the email the Chief said yes lets do it? Did it ever occur to you that those people are all volunteers with jobs and a schedule must be made when it is practical for them to do it. Did it ever occur to you that it may not have been DEEMIS aircraft and arraingments for that had to be made and the plane or helicopter would have to be outfitted with the propper equipment? Did it ever occur to you that these people are not at the Garza Familys becconing call and they will do it when it is convenient and practical for them, not the schedule you set up.
Of course none of this occured to you, because you have become obbsessed with trashing the MPD here on this internet site because you are not happy with the resuilts or answers you get from them. They tell you the cold hard facts and not what you want to hear.
Bottom line is, it is non of yours or anyone elses bussiness What Mr. hanley is doing or has planned in the investigation. It is a police matter and confidential information and if we the publik get wind of it that very possibly could hinder the investigation or disturb evidence.
For instance I have never seen or heard a press release or anything from Cheif Hanley that stated the disapearance of Nick had anything to do with alcohol or falling in the snow. The first I saw anything like that was was from you people. Yes you Nicks own family. If that was one avenue that was being exploered it didnt come to the publik from the chief of police. Perhaps that is why you dont get information and answers from him.
Deep in my heart I feel bad for Nick and his Mom and the burden that has been put on her but I cant feel sorry for a guy like you who seems to want to place the blame on the local law enforcment agency for a situation they did not cause and vent your anger at them through this news forum.
Sicerly Doc
Thanks Jason
Thanks for answering my question
Try This
Why don't you all try reading all the Press Releases that have been posted on the MPD's website. Go to www middlebury police.org (all one word), click on news and go down to College Student Missing (second from the bottom) I see a department that is doing anything and everything they can to help find Nick Garza.
I hope the search this weekend is well organized and hope and pray that no ones gets hurt.
I pray for this family in their time of ANGER, hurt and pain.
To My Middlebury Community
Joy is right
Joy is right. We have a missing child. We have a concerned community. We have a grieving, hurting family. We have a college community that is missing one of it's own. Please everyone, remember that this is a child we are talking about. He's out there somewhere. Lets do whatever we need to to bring him home....
Joy is right
A missing child is a living nightmare that doesn't end for a mother, brother and entire family. My heart goes to the Garza family. I hurt for them, because I myself am a mother with a son Nicks age, and I know for a fact that life wouldn't be the same here on earth without my loving son. I would never be able to breath or even want to wake up the next day knowing my son is lost and never to be found. I thank all those involved in the search to find Nick, it takes a real gifted human heart to care for a grieving mother and family and friends. It's all about lifting one another and taking care of each other. That, money can't buy. Beautiful, caring, people make life easier while going through the worst storms of our life. Again a big Thank You to all involved in Nicks search.