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After seven days, Joshua Tree National Park will suspend daily search operations for Georgia resident William Ewasko. Riverside County announced that it will also be terminating active search operations effective July 2 and will continue to handle the incident as a missing persons case. The National Park Service will support the County’s ongoing investigation into Mr. Ewasko’s disappearance. Acting Park Superintendent John Slaughter emphasizes that while the park is scaling back active search operations, the search itself is not over and will continue on an intermittent basis as park staff and search-and-rescue volunteers are available. “We are not done looking for Mr. Ewasko,” said Slaughter, “and will keep searching as part of our regular park operations.” Riverside County Sheriffs Department provided a unified command structure for search and rescue operations that included many agencies and organizations. More than 100 volunteers took part, contributing over 1,400 hours searching on foot and horseback, with trained dogs, and from the air. Dozens of additional staff and volunteers provided hundreds of hours of logistics support during the search. Joshua Tree National Park wishes to express its gratitude to the members of the following organizations for their dedication and invaluable assistance with the Ewasko search effort: Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mr. William Ewasko is asked to contact Investigator Mario Martinez at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station. The telephone number is 760-836-1600. |
Last updated: February 28, 2015