Yes, thanks Tom for the report. It's truly a mystery how these people can just disappear with not a trace.

Greg (aka - Plays In The Dirt)

You might consider this as an update. Jesse Capen has been missing for over a year now. The longer an individual is missing the more difficult it is to find clues. The SSAR is once again sending teams in the area of Peter's Mesa, Tortilla Creek and Tortilla Mountain. The search will probably be focused on the area in and around Jesse's camp site. My experience over the years with a lot of these Dutch hunters and treasure hunters is they sometimes make their last camp site almost moot when it comes to searching for them. Many are very paranoid about being followed or watched. Often they will establish a false camp stoke it and only visit it occasionally, but at the same time use another camp for their operations. This could explain the situation involving Jesse Capen. Also he could have got caught in a flash flood along Tortilla Creek and his remains could be anywhere in Tortilla Creek from Indian Springs to Canyon Lake. I am quite sure SSAR will continue a systematic search until some clue is found. I wish SSAR, other search & rescue groups and volunteers the best of luck in their continued search for Jesse Capen. Each and everyone of you are going to need. In some cases the search for clues has lasted for several years before anything was ever discovered. Summer will be with us again soon enough. Please be careful and take care. Tom Kollenborn

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Anyone have a further update on this story ?

I'm new to this website and this story brought me in.

Do S&R teams check abandoned mines, at all ? I suspect that they hike up to and around an old mine but
that nobody actually enters due to the hazards.

If this guy entered an old shaft and was trapped, nobody would have ever found him if it is as I suspect.

I know at a local State Park, the # 1 Park Administrator warned me about hiking "off trail" due to open shafts. He said they intentionally DON"T mark the sites because they want to keep people away from them. But, I asked if they ever checked the sites for fallen hikers, he said "no."

Has anyone marked the site of his camp on a google earth map for easier viewing by the viewers here?

GENTLEMEN: The SSAR have certified Community and Mountain Emergency Response training that is done by state certified trainers. Yes, they check old mine shafts and tunnels, they have accurate GPS locations for most the holes in the Superstition Wilderness Area.

Tom & Sharon K.

Moderator Note: Post edited to remove subjective advertising. Advertising within a post is considered to be SPAM, and is always subject to being removed. Repeated offenses may also result in a member losing their privilege of posting in these forums.

I don't consider providing information about the training of a non-profit volunteer organization who purpose is to serve the public in time of need as spam. Your methods of moderation have convinced me you are not interested in what is really going on. This is my last post on Desert USA. I have always respected the sites and many of it contributors, however I don't need to be involved under these conditions. I will also forward an email of this post to Mr. Bremmer.

Best of luck in the future.

Respectfully yours,

Tom Kollenborn



Moderator Note:
Sorry you feel that way Tom, but you must have at least a dozen ads promoting the SSAR in this forum already. And as I am sure you know SSAR has been a involved in a "situation" the last couple of years, resulting in not everyone sharing your high regard for them.

I have no problem with anyone sharing their opinions (Political or otherwise) in the forums one time, but when they are injected into posts over and over and over again, it tends to distract attention from the subject being discussed.

This forum is for discussing Search & Rescue Operations. Not for constant Political "Stumping" for one SAR Organization over another. If you cannot understand and that. Maybe it is best that you find another forum to do your "stumping" on.

Best,

Jim

I think Tom has a good point there.

HJ

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Does your group share those gps locations with the hiking public to help hikers AVOID dangerous falls into holes / shafts? Or, does someone have to fall in a hole before your group goes to the rescue ?

HJ,

"SPAM" may have been a bad choice of words on my part HJ. I guess "advertisement" would have been a better choice, even tho they do mean the same thing.

All political differences aside... I would agree with you 100%.

We have 3 SAR organizations that provide SAR operations in the Superstition Wilderness area. Two of them are the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, and the third is the Superstition Search and Rescue (SSAR). I have personally worked in the field with all three organizations at one time or another, and had a close-up look at how all 3 operate in the field. Frankly... Although I agree that SSAR does provide a great deal of help in some rescue operations. I found the services they provide to be far inferior, compared to those provided by the Sheriff's Offices. So... There ARE two sides to every coin, and some are very politically biased.

If I allowed Tom to keep singing his praises and doing commercials for the SSAR... Eventually the people (like myself) who have "some" opposite opinions, would want to get their two cents worth in too, and before we knew it this whole discussion would be nothing but one big political debate!

That kind of stuff has no place in the DUSA Forums.

As I told Tom above:

"This forum is for discussing Search & Rescue Operations. Not for constant "Political Stumping" for one SAR Organization over the others.

If he cannot live with that. It is probably best that he moves on to another forum. Hopefully... He will focus on the "History - Legends & Lore of the Superstitions" where he (undisputedly) is "The Man" and there are no political agendas at work in the background.

Best,

Jim

Well they finally found him. RIP Jesse.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_so ... isappeared

http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2012 ... ase/11837/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/29/bo ... -treasure/

it may be premature to say these
remains are of Jesse

according to everything I've read
I don't believe the remains have been 100%
identified by the coroner, yet.

roc