DOVER PLAINS — The search for former Dover Town Supervisor Ryan Courtien entered its third full day Wednesday, July 15, drawing emergency responders from across northeast Dutchess County and western Connecticut after the longtime public official disappeared from his property Sunday morning.
Courtien — a 49-year-old Wingdale resident, former Dover Town Supervisor, current Planning Board chair and volunteer firefighter — went outside at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, to do yard work at his home on Waldo Road and never returned. New York State Police have led a search and rescue effort since Sunday afternoon, mobilizing up to 80 people per day to search the woods surrounding Courtien's home.
As of Wednesday morning, July 15, Courtien remains missing as authorities scour the area with heat-detecting drones, helicopters, scent hounds and searchers on foot.
Authorities and local officials are urging the public to keep an eye out for Courtien and check any security or trail cameras for signs of him. Authorities say Courtien was last seen wearing tan pants and a black t-shirt. His cellphone was left behind and State Police Trooper Krystal Paolicelli said Courtien's vehicle is accounted for at his home.
"We are asking residents to check their Ring cams, if anyone has any trail cams," Paolicelli said. "Anything that they see that they think could help us in this investigation, just give us a call. Even if they think it's silly, give us a shout."
Members of the public will not be allowed to take part directly in search and rescue efforts, but Dover Town Supervisor Rich Yeno said community members may assist by donating water and electrolyte drinks to rescuers. Donations may be left at the J.H. Ketcham firehouse on Route 22 in Dover Plains.
Paolicelli said safety concerns are behind the decision to limit direct public involvement in the search. Authorities are searching the heavily wooded and rugged area directly surrounding Courtien's home on Waldo Road, posing a risk that nonprofessionals could be lost or injured.
Yeno praised Dover and surrounding communities and emergency responders for the show of support during the search for Courtien. He said the sizable response is a testament to the dedication of emergency responders and the tight-knit community that exists across Dutchess County and even into Connecticut.
"Everybody's a neighbor," Yeno said. "It's been overwhelming, but I can't thank the town enough."
Searchers have had to contend with temperatures climbing into the 90s and now face air quality issues due to wildfires in Ontario, Canada, that have cast a smoky haze over much of the Hudson Valley on Wednesday, July 15.
The heat poses challenges in the use of heat-detecting drones, New York State Police drone coordinator Bryan Conti said, but the devices are still helpful in the search effort.
The troopers' drones are equipped with both infrared and typical visible-light cameras that drone operators utilize to identify whether a heat signature belongs to wildlife, natural features or a missing person.
Drone operations have also been conducted in pre-dawn hours to aid the effectiveness of the heat-seeking capabilities. Those hours are crucial, Conti said, because of the heat and how objects on the ground retain it.
"The biggest thing right now, at this time of year, is everything holds the heat," Conti said. "We've been clearing a lot of the questionable areas or heat signatures."
The early September sun greeted students as they stepped off their buses at Webutuck Elementary School for the first day of classes Tuesday, Sept. 8.Photo by Leila Hawken
