Autistic teen vanishes on hike

[WVUfanPHILLY]

Charleston, West Virginia (AP) -- Emergency responders and volunteers searching for an autistic hiker in a national park found his hat Monday, a day after he strayed from his parents during a hike.

The hat was found close to where Jacob Allen, 18, was last seen Sunday afternoon, search group spokesman Chris Stadelman said from the command post near Davis.

"We're trying not to read into it too much one way or the other," he said.

Allen wandered ahead on the Boar's Nest Trail while hiking with his parents, Jim and Karen Allen. He didn't answer when they called his name, Stadelman said. Allen's mother described him as severely autistic.

More than 50 emergency responders and volunteers were focusing on 10 square miles of the Monongahela National Forest, an area with rugged terrain that includes sections of thick brush and steep inclines.

"Some of it is back country where it's so thick you can't see five feet in front of you in the daylight," Stadelman said.

Teams from the Army Reserve and the Morgantown, West Virginia-based Mountaineer Area Search and Rescue were combing the wooded area Monday night as a helicopter with infrared technology hovered overhead, he said.

The Allen family, of Morgantown, visits Dolly Sods Wilderness Area a couple times a year, and Jacob is in good physical condition and likes to hike, Stadelman said.

The family declined to speak with the press, but thanked searchers for their efforts and asked for the public's prayers, Stadelman said.

Temperatures dropped to 38 degrees Fahrenheit overnight, and rose to the high 60s Monday afternoon. Lows near 45 degrees are expected Monday night.

Allen was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt, a wind jacket and pants, and hiking boots. He had no food and water. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

[wvumaryjane]

You know.. there's just something about this whole thing that stinks.. If I had a severely autistic child I would NEVER let him out of site on a hiking trail..

You have to really wonder what's happening in that situation.

[WVUfanPHILLY]

I thought that too. When I was hiking in that area, I never let Big Jim out of my sight!

[wvumaryjane]

It seems to me there's a skunk in the woodpile..

[mountaineerinpa]

I've been in that area and I know I wouldnt wonder too far off the road or out of site of our vehicle. It does sound a little fishy.

[rainman]

Searchers are hoping to match missing hiker’s shoe with another of same type
Associated Press


DAVIS— Searchers looking for an 18-year-old autistic hiker missing since Sunday are hoping to find a matching shoe type that could provide them with major help.
Hundreds of volunteers have combed the rough terrain of the Dolly Sodds Wilderness Area for days searching for Jacob Allen of Morgantown. It’s now difficult for searchers to tell if footprints they find are Allen’s or those of another volunteer.
As a result, the searchers are hoping to get an exact copy of Allen’s shoe to compare against footprints they’ve found. The shoe is made by L.L. Bean, is called a Bean’s Ridge Runner, and has the serial number TK48993. Jacob Allen wears a size nine medium, and his shoes are colored dark khaki stone, according to Chris Stadelman, spokesman for the search effort.
The L.L. Bean company has been helpful, Stadelman said, but the shoe is no longer made.
“We need to find that shoe live on somebody’s foot,” he said.
As the search for Allen continued Wednesday night, Gov. Joe Manchin visited with Allen’s family to pledge the resources of the state to the search, according to spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg.
As night fell, the hundreds of volunteers who worked through the day went home, replaced by about 15 seasoned professionals skilled in night searches.
The searchers were glad that overnight temperatures were expected to be warm, and said they weren’t bothered by the possibility of a coming cold front.
“We’re not planning for another night,” said Chris Stadelman, spokesman for the rescue effort. “We’re planning to find him tonight.”
Allen is very comfortable around people and his parents would not expect him to shy away from rescuers as they call for him, Stadelman said.
More than 300 people, volunteers as well as trained professionals, trudged through the rugged terrain of the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area on Wednesday, shouting for “Jake” to come to them for ice cream, candy bars and other food.
Allen’s 22-year-old sister, Brittany, said her brother disappearing is the family’s worst nightmare.
“We have to be there to care for him,” she told The Inter-Mountain of Elkins. “In 18 years, this has been our biggest fear. I am trying to stay as optimistic as possible. Every minute it gets harder.”
Allen wandered away from his parents Sunday afternoon while hiking on the Boar’s Nest Trail in the Randolph County section of the wilderness area, which is in the Monongahela National Forest.
He had no food or water with him, but Stadelman said there are natural water sources in the search area, which consists of about 10 square miles of often steep and brush-covered terrain.
Allen was clothed in hiking boots, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a wind jacket and wind pants.
Stadelman said the family and the rescuers remain confident Allen will be found soon, and that there are no plans to scale back the rescue effort.
On Tuesday, Allen’s father, Jim Allen, released a statement thanking the search crews for their help and asking the community to keep praying for his son.
Expressions of community support have ranged from prayer vigils at the family’s church to Jacob’s classmates taking up financial collections to help the rescue effort.
Students at Morgantown High School raised about $500 on Tuesday to buy supplies for the volunteer search teams, including the candy they hope will attract Allen’s attention.
“We’re all trying to remain positive and put our best thoughts forward,” Assistant Principal John Lewis told The Dominion Post of Morgantown. “We’d like to have Jacob back. As a school we’re kind of hurting, because he’s a great kid and they’re a great family.”