UPDATE: Paul Hare’s body was found Wednesday afternoon by Island search and rescue teams at Horth Hill Regional Park.
A joint team of 25 Search and Rescue (SAR) specialists from groups as far away as Cowichan Bay have been scouring Horth Hill Park in North Saanich for missing local man, Paul Hare.
The teams joined forces with Peninsula Emergency Measures Organization (PEMO) personnel to search the 34-hectare park following the discovery of his black 2003 Ford Ranger in its parking lot.
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Hare, 64, was last seen on July 28, in his North Saanich home. He was reported missing by his wife on July 29.
“We would like to thank the public for their assistance, because after our news release yesterday, we received some information that was viable and assisted in the course of our investigation. During that investigation Mr. Hare’s personal vehicle was recovered,” said Const. Meighan de Pass of the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP.
The RCMP have cordoned off the entrance to the park and the public are being asked to stay away from the area while the search and investigation continues.
SAR teams have been working since 6:45 a.m. Wednesday morning and searched until 11:45 p.m. the previous night. They then practiced and planned “well into the early hours.”
The members are conducting methodical grid searches in four- to six-hour shifts. They did have a dog assisting them but it was stung by wasps, that are particularly aggressive at this time of year, and had to be withdrawn. A replacement dog is expected later Wednesday afternoon as they enter the secondary phase of their operation.
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“We would like to ask if any member of the public saw Mr. Hare or his vehicle on July 28 to please contact us. Any amount of information is important to our investigation and we are also asking residents within the area here in Horth Hill Park who may have some camera surveillance on their homes, to review their footage and see if there is anything there and contact us at the detachment.”
The police said they were not releasing details about Hare’s physical or emotional state at the time of his disappearance. Hare is described as being a Caucasian man, of slim build with balding grey hair, 5’10 in height and approximately 150 pounds.
If anyone has any information they are asked to call the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP on 250-656-3931.
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