Debra Collins is safe and recovering from her six traumatic days in the woods. Now attention is turning to the Sheriff’s Department, which did not launch a search for her. She was eventually found by a neighbor and his son, who followed a route she liked to run in the Fall Creek unit of the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The Sheriff’s Office reportedly asked State Parks rangers to search only one of her favorite running routes, in the main part of Henry Cowell, saying at the time there is little likelihood of finding a missing person by conducting random searches over a large area. Today the Sentinel reports that Chief Deputy Don Bradley said, “Having the luxury of hindsight, we would get our search and rescue director involved earlier.”
Debra Collins is safe and recovering from her six traumatic days in the woods. Now attention is turning to the Sheriff’s Department, which did not launch a search for her. She was eventually found by a neighbor and his son, who followed a route she liked to run in the Fall Creek unit of the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The Sheriff’s Office reportedly asked State Parks rangers to search only one of her favorite running routes, in the main part of Henry Cowell, saying at the time there is little likelihood of finding a missing person by conducting random searches over a large area. Today the Sentinel reports that Chief Deputy Don Bradley said, “Having the luxury of hindsight, we would get our search and rescue director involved earlier.”
Bradley also praised the volunteers, saying, “I think it’s great that the community is prepared to go out and assist.” Collins’ neighbors appreciate the compliment, but say they wish the sheriff’s department had been more diligent. Though Bradley explained that the deputies had no “starting point” with which to launch a search, the fact that two people from the community were able to retrace her steps indicates to some neighbors, at least, that not enough investigating was done. In fact, the neighbors decided to search after the Sheriff’s Office cautioned against it. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
