Friends of Sara Sherry continue to search for a Vancouver Island woman, believed missing in Nanoose Bay since Feb. 15.
Recent efforts have focused on power lines near the Englishman River, according to Sarah Galbraith.
Some friends came across footprints while out looking on Sunday (April 14), which had already been flagged by search and rescue.
“They are along the power lines near the river,” Galbraith said. “I think she was trying to get home. That’s the only logical explanation. They’re about five kilometres away from the truck. I think she cut through the woodlands a bit because it was definitely off the road for sure.”
Sherry, an Errington resident, was last seen driving her pickup truck near Northwest Bay Logging Road at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 15. Her truck was located on Feb. 23, but she was nowhere to be found.
“It’s hard because we can only be out there two, sometimes three, days a week,” Galbraith said.
Due to logging activity during the week, searching is restricted to weekends.
The search is focused on the area between Rhododendron Lake and the Englishman River, she added. Efforts have been bolstered lately with the addition of drone operated by a Nanoose Bay man who has volunteered his time.
The 45-year-old mother lives near Englishman River Regional Park and would often walk her dogs through the area, Galbraith said, but the day she disappeared she did not tell anyone she was going out and she did not take her dogs, nor her phone.
“I think she was trying to get home. It’s so strange, but she knows the power lines,” she said.
READ MORE: No sign of Errington woman missing in Nanoose Bay for 5 weeks
Arrowsmith Search and Rescue (ASAR) put in more than 2,000 hours, not counting time by mutual aid partners, according to Ken Neden, search and rescue manager.
Galbraith and other searchers have been using an app called Gaia GPS to keep track of where they have looked. Galbraith has also mapped out a route Sherry may have taken after she left her vehicle.
“I will never give up, as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will never give up,” she said.
If people decided to go out and look, Galbraith said to be safe, be mindful of wildlife such as bears, keep safe in numbers and let people know where you are going and when you plan to be back.
There is no updated information about Sherry from RCMP as of April 17, according to Sgt. Shane Worth. Criminality is not a factor in the investigation, police said.
Sherry is described as Caucasian, five-foot-three and 120 pounds, with blonde hair and green eyes. She was reported missing by her family on Feb. 17, according to Oceanside RCMP.
If anyone sees Sherry, they are asked to contact police immediately.
