By Heather Morrison
masslive.com
QUABBIN WILDERNESS, Mass. — Police followed footprints in the snow through the depths of the Quabbin Wilderness for more than 90 minutes to find a missing Massachusetts man.
On Feb. 12 , a 54-year-old man from Ware was reported missing. He had been last seen leaving his home the day before and heading towards the Quabbin, police said.
The State Police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) were already together doing a medical training at the State Police Academy when the call for help came in.
Officials said they interviewed people who had seen the man and watched camera footage in the area. This helped them narrow the focus of their search.
“Eventually, a SERT member located fresh footprints in the snow entering a wooded area towards the Quabbin Reservoir ,” Massachusetts State Police said in a statement. “State Police K-9 joined SERT members in a thorough search, following footprints and other clues for more than 90 minutes.”
Around 4 p.m. , the missing man was found laying on the ground conscious, but hypothermic after being out all night in the snow.
Police gave the man first aid and prepared him for transport on a handheld stretcher. Then members from SERT, Hardwick Police and Ware Fire carried the man through multiple inches of snow to where officials from the Department of Conservation and Recreation had a truck to take him the rest of the way out of the woods. A West Brookfield Ambulance was standing by outside the woods.
“The Ware Police Department would like to send many gracious thanks to the public, the Massachusetts State Police SERT Team, Airwing, and Hardwick Police Department for their diligent assistance with locating Mr. Ross in the depths of the Quabbin Wilderness,” the Ware Police Department wrote on Facebook.
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