2008 Woodie Awards
Lead prompts new search in Garza case
Anthony Adragna
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
New aerial photography taken as part of the Nick Garza disappearance investigation revealed an 'object of interest' in Otter Creek, according to officials. The discovery provided investigators with the first new clue in recent memory and prompted a second search of the creek.
Members of the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) received the help of an outside group from Maine that took aerial photographs of Otter Creek. Late last week the pictures yielded a lead.
"On the evening of April 17, these images were transmitted to Visual Imagery Analysts for Search and Rescue (VIASAR) image analysis in Ohio," Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley wrote in an e-mail. "At 11:30 p.m. on April 17, the department was notified that a VIASAR analyst had found an 'object of interest' in Otter Creek behind the high school. This image was recorded at about noon on April 17."
Upon learning of the clue, police officers rushed to the creek but early search efforts were hampered by the time of day.
"By midnight on April 17, a team of Middlebury and State Police began searching the river," Hanley said. "At about 2:40 a.m., the search was called off."
Rescuers began to search at daylight on April 18. Search efforts revealed nothing but police received another photographic clue.
"Analysts later reported on April 21 that in an image taken on April 17, the object had drifted some 10-12 feet and was moving in the current," Hanley said. "Shoreline searches have been conducted daily along the creek since April 18."
The area of the creek in question is immediately behind Middlebury High School and lies less than a quarter of a mile from campus. That area is only a couple hundred yards from a suspension bridge commonly used by joggers.
Police officials believe Garza could have wandered off that direction the night he disappeared.
The new clue in the case followed several days of unsuccessful searching in the creek.
"Saranac Technical Rescue offered to attempt a river search on April 9 and 10," Hanley said. "Due to high water and swift current, they could not complete the search in their allotted time, limiting their search to an area below the waterfall in downtown Middlebury. That search was inconclusive."
Members of the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) received the help of an outside group from Maine that took aerial photographs of Otter Creek. Late last week the pictures yielded a lead.
"On the evening of April 17, these images were transmitted to Visual Imagery Analysts for Search and Rescue (VIASAR) image analysis in Ohio," Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley wrote in an e-mail. "At 11:30 p.m. on April 17, the department was notified that a VIASAR analyst had found an 'object of interest' in Otter Creek behind the high school. This image was recorded at about noon on April 17."
Upon learning of the clue, police officers rushed to the creek but early search efforts were hampered by the time of day.
"By midnight on April 17, a team of Middlebury and State Police began searching the river," Hanley said. "At about 2:40 a.m., the search was called off."
Rescuers began to search at daylight on April 18. Search efforts revealed nothing but police received another photographic clue.
"Analysts later reported on April 21 that in an image taken on April 17, the object had drifted some 10-12 feet and was moving in the current," Hanley said. "Shoreline searches have been conducted daily along the creek since April 18."
The area of the creek in question is immediately behind Middlebury High School and lies less than a quarter of a mile from campus. That area is only a couple hundred yards from a suspension bridge commonly used by joggers.
Police officials believe Garza could have wandered off that direction the night he disappeared.
The new clue in the case followed several days of unsuccessful searching in the creek.
"Saranac Technical Rescue offered to attempt a river search on April 9 and 10," Hanley said. "Due to high water and swift current, they could not complete the search in their allotted time, limiting their search to an area below the waterfall in downtown Middlebury. That search was inconclusive."
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Ricardo Obregon
posted 4/25/08 @ 2:49 PM EST
THE SEARCH SHOULD CONTINUE and we expect for the MPD to have additional Budgets for concerns like this.
Kate
posted 5/04/08 @ 2:24 AM EST
please continue the search.
please let them find nick.
i haven't stopped praying.
Joy
posted 5/04/08 @ 2:31 PM EST
Who was last seen with Nick? Who had Nick's school I.D. and where is it now? Who is the student found with a newly chipped tooth that has changed his story over and over? What does he know that he hasn't told?
Did anyone see something that night (Feb. (Continued…)
pat
posted 5/08/08 @ 2:31 PM EST
If the MPD needs more money to pay for search efforts, (and probably volunteer searchers), I don't think there's a need to use their overtime budget. I'd bet that all they'd have to do is ask, and in a heartbeat, they'd receive all the money (and probably searchers) they need in small donations from countless caring people. (Continued…)
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