Canada Search and Disaster Dog Rescue team came to La Ronge area to help in the search on Jan. 2. Photo courtesy Tammy Cook-Searson, Facebook.
The search for a missing 36-year-old man continues, and now a second remotely-operated underwater vehicle is involved.
Billy Taylor was last seen by his family on December 17.
He had left Fox point for La Ronge by snowmobile.
It’s believed he went through the ice on Lac La Ronge.
Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson says searchers will be using Submerged Recovery and Inspection Services from Arlington, Washington to help in the effort.
The owner of the company, Craig Thorngren, will be working with searchers from Grandmother’s Bay led by band councillor Leon Charles.
“Grandmother’s Bay has people coming in,” she says. “And we’ve also had people from Stanley Mission and people from La Ronge that have been helping. So the ROV will be covering a lot of area. But we also have people from our local community here that are looking and still continuing to search the ground, also.”
Cook-Searson says the recent cold weather has been helpful, and conditions on the lake are not as treacherous as they were in December.
“The ice conditions are starting to stabilize,” she says. “Of course, there are always areas that never freeze over. So if people are planning on going out there to help, we ask they stick to the trail and they talk to one of the people already out there and know the way to where the search site is. Because it’s 23 km from La Ronge to Fox Point, the area where they’re searching.”
S/Sgt. Richard Price says the Underwater Recovery Team is in La Ronge with divers and sonar equipment and will also be assisting.
Anyone with information or wanting to help out with the search is asked to contact family spokesperson Billy Taylor, Sr. or La Ronge RCMP.