Overnight search for Chase Martens yields no results

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Published on Thursday, March 24, 2016

Banner Staff

After another night of combing area fields and brush, searchers came up empty in the their efforts to find missing two-year-old, Chase Martens. On March 24, at 11 a.m., RCMP held a press conference to provide an update on the search. 

Manitoba RCMP Media Relations Officer Sgt. Bert Paquet, said that at one point yesterday, over 500 volunteers were participating in the search.  At dusk last night, about 100 volunteers were sent home, with only trained search and rescue personnel participating in the overnight search.  Many of those volunteers returned this morning.

Paquet explained that today, the search area has increased from a 1.5 km radius around the Martens’ home, north of Austin, to 3km. He added that the Underwater Recovery Team has been deployed to conduct a more thorough search of the bodies of water in the area, which include creeks and ponds. The team includes trained divers.

To date, there has been no physical evidence found of the missing child. Paquet said, “We remain hopeful,” but added that they are open to all possibilities. 

Yesterday, with the help of 15 different fire departments, three Hutterite Colonies, the Winnipeg Police Service, RCMP, personnel from CFB Shilo, DOPS and community volunteers, Paquet said that most of the land in the area has been searched. He added that they will provide an update later today about whether more volunteer searchers are needed.

Paquet asked the greater community to keep Chase in their thoughts and pleaded for information, no matter how insignificant it might seem. “We’ve solved similar cases with information that at one time seemed insignificant,” he said. 

Paquet said that their immediate concern is to answer the question, “Where is Chase?”.

This story will be updated as more information is available.