Rescue teams search for woman at Red Rock

Heather Rawlyk

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 | 11:23 a.m.

Metro Police Search and Rescue teams resumed their search this morning for a Las Vegas woman who has been missing since Sunday afternoon in Red Rock Canyon.

The woman went to the area of First Creek Canyon near Spring Mountain Ranch State Park with her son Sunday afternoon to look for a friend's lost pit bull that had run away nine days earlier during a hike along the trails, according to Metro Officer Clint Malburg.

The woman's son went home about 2 p.m. that day, but she was not ready to give up her search for the lost dog. The son told Malburg that his mother said she was going to stay a few hours longer and look for the dog, Malburg said.

While the woman's family noticed she had not returned that evening, they were not worried enough to call police, Malburg said. When the woman did not return Monday morning, however, the family filed a missing person report, he said.

Metro Search and Rescue teams began searching at 11 a.m. Monday for the woman, using helicopters, bloodhounds and ground units.

The woman's unoccupied vehicle was found parked on the side of State Route 159 just outside of Spring Mountain Ranch. That's where she had parked the car Sunday afternoon, Malburg said.

Metro officers and volunteers had found no other signs of the woman as of 10 p.m. Monday. They restarted the search at 7 this morning.

"There's still a good chance that she is alive and we will find her," he said. "Her relatives believe she had water with her and the temperatures were not too high here today and it's even cooler in the night.

"We're still optimistic that we'll find her and she'll be OK."