The search had been called off only the day before for a 19-year-old British backpacker who’d disappeared in the Australian outback. His dad had flown into Australia to help with the search and was standing in the airport to return home when he received a phone call that his son had seemingly returned from the dead. The hiker left for a 10-mile hike on July 3rd and wandered onto a street after 12 days of eating weeds and seeds he found in the wilderness. His dad said he wouldn’t kill his son for getting lost, but would ‘kick his arse - the millions that have been spent on this search, the man hours and woman hours that have gone into it … all because he goes out on a walk without his mobile phone.’ Not to be total dick, but doesn’t 12 days seem a tiny bit early to give up on the search?
ByRocky Thompson
Rocky 12 days is a long time, We wouldn’t spend more than 4 looking for your sorry soul.
That’s not even a fortnight.
But it could be 12 nights in a fort.
There are a number of factors that play into how long the active search goes on. While 12 days is a long time, some searches (very few) do go on longer.
Some factors that play into the decision to suspend the search:
Availability of searchers - most, if not all, are volunteer and have jobs and families to attend to.
Availability of other resources - fuel, vehicles, food, facilities
Number of significant clues - continuing to find clues will keep a search going.
Safety of the searchers - due to weather and other hazards
Survivability of the lost subject
The decision to suspend a search is not one made lightly. All factors and aspects of the search and investigation are reviewed before a decision is made.
Remember too that the investigation side of things typically does not stop when the search is suspended. Additional clues, witness reports, and other things may come in that results in additional investigation. At any point, the decision to search again may be made.
I was personally in a search for a missing person where the camp site was found 6 months after the initial search was suspended.