Missing Person Search Has Harsh Discovery In Upstate New York

Missing person searches are never easy. As time rips by, the chances of finding someone that can be helped become less and less. Technology has certainly helped in the rescue/recovery mission but it doesn't always lead to good endings.

Get our free mobile app

Back on March 29th, a 35-year-old man from Glen Spey, New York located in Sullivan County, went off-roading with a friend. The two became separated in the town of Forestburgh. The man was reported missing.

According to a report by Steve Featherstone of syracuse.com, on March 31st, police began a search for Harold Hoyt of Glen Spey. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers along with state and local law enforcement agencies used ATV's, drones and a helicopter to search for Hoyt. 65 volunteers from local fire departments, search and rescue groups and other volunteers collaborated in the week-long search but to no avail. That changed last week.

Featherstone reported that the search covered a one-mile radius from Harold Hoyt’s last known location. On April 7th, the New York State forest rangers got some help from the FBI. Cell phone data changed Hoyt's final location to an area that had not been searched. Shortly received cell phone data from the FBI that placed Hoyt southeast of his last known point in an area that had not been searched. On Friday, one of the rangers on the search of the new location, found the deceased Hoyt. Crews had to carry the missing man's body for nearly a mile to the road. No report of cause of death was given.