IPSWICH – Chief Paul Nikas reports that the Ipswich Police Department located a man this morning who went missing last weekend.
The 33-year-old male had been missing since Saturday, exchanging no contact with family or friends for approximately 72 hours.
Around 10 a.m. today, Officer Mark Ruggiero was able to ping the man’s cell phone, which brought police to the area of Turner Hill Country Club, bordering the Willowdale State Forest.
The police department, with assistance from the Ipswich Fire Department, began to search the area. The combined effort, led by Police Sgt. Justin Daly and Fire Lt. Lee Prentiss, led to the man’s discovery in the surrounding woods. The man, who was immobile after an apparent fall, suffered from hypothermia and dehydration. He was transported to Beverly Hospital by Action Ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.
Both departments implemented a search pattern, effectively scouring the woods until locating the missing man. The police department’s Polaris Razor ATV was also used in today’s search, allowing officials to increase their coverage area by a sizable margin.
“Fire Chief Gagnon and I commend the efforts of our public safety personnel for an outstanding job today,” Chief Nikas said. “They coordinated their efforts to quickly locate this individual, which prevented any further injury or the possibility of him succumbing to the elements.”
