Sabbaday Falls-Swift River fatality 10/1/2010

[Waumbek]

A sad story. Condolences to friends and family. No information about where he slipped and fell into the river on Friday.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...OL-?SITE=NHMAL&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

More info here: http://www.unionleader.com/article....rticleId=9a583b90-d09f-4e19-a8af-bf3f5723726c

 

[Raymond]

When I saw the brief about this incident in the Boston Globe, my first thought was that the 85-year-old woman who disappeared back on September 7th had turned up, but no, it was someone else.

The Globe had at least four stories about the 78-year-old woman from Sheffield, Vermont, who disappeared, but not a thing about the woman from Waterville Valley, Beth Upton.

Has anyone here heard any more news about her?

The woods along the Livermore Trail were crawling with searchers when my son and I climbed Tripyramid on Sept. 11. Plus four horses and a helicopter.

 

[audrey]

When I saw the brief about this incident in the Boston Globe, my first thought was that the 85-year-old woman who disappeared back on September 7th had turned up, but no, it was someone else.

The Globe had at least four stories about the 78-year-old woman from Sheffield, Vermont, who disappeared, but not a thing about the woman from Waterville Valley, Beth Upton.

Has anyone here heard any more news about her?

The woods along the Livermore Trail were crawling with searchers when my son and I climbed Tripyramid on Sept. 11. Plus four horses and a helicopter.

This, from October 3...

http://www.wmur.com/news/25264460/detail.html

 

[Maddy]

This, from October 3...

http://www.wmur.com/news/25264460/detail.html

I think it would serve us well to use extra caution up North, most especially if traveling solo.
We now have a total of two unsolved murders, and 3 who have vanished into thin air, all women in northern NH and VT.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

I think it would serve us well to use extra caution up North, most especially if traveling solo.
We now have a total of two unsolved murders, and 3 who have vanished into thin air, all women in northern NH and VT.

Not that often, but every now and then Lauky will kind of freak me out by indicating over an extended period that something is out there following us, yet I never see it or hear it.

I generally figure that it is either a cat of some sort or a coyote. I'm sure sometimes it is. Last Saturday while going up the Scaur Ridge trail it happened again. For a good ten minutes or more he kept turning around and indicating that there was something off the trail. I never saw anything and after a bit he quit. Then on our way back down in about the same area I heard voices. It was only for a short moment and I was sure we were either going to catch up with someone or that someone one was coming towards us. Neither took place. When we hit Livermore Rd I thought we would see someone or a group up ahead on one of the long open stretches but we never did. Nor was there anyone in the parking lot loading up when we arrived.

I didn't think much about it at the time, but now you've got me wondering about those voices.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

I think it would serve us well to use extra caution up North, most especially if traveling solo.
We now have a total of two unsolved murders, and 3 who have vanished into thin air, all women in northern NH and VT.

Beth Upton was suffering the "early stages" of Alzheimer's. The quotes because early transitions to later stages sometimes without notice. I have been on and reviewed enough searches for the elderly with Alzheimer's. It rarely turns out well.

They will likely find this woman not far from her home (often less than a mile but not always). She would likely lose her orientation when heading somewhere and wander aimlessly or with a purpose only she understands, usually orienting to their early life. When they find her she will likely be tangled in something or had been hurt so that it is impossible for her to continue.

The rule for these people is they don't walk in a currently oriented manner. Obstacles don't matter and they appear to lack the ability to turn around. They will continue to walk until they cannot walk any farther due to exhaustion, becoming stuck or injured and they fall and that is where they are found. Even if conscious they may not respond to rescuers shouts because even stuck and injured they don't consider themselves in any danger. You must physically search areas that you "don't think" a person would be or could get into. Drainage's, tangles of prickers or vines, heavy undergrowth etc. must be checked thoroughly.

Yes, I am assuming that she is a "walk away", missing due to Alzheimer's but that is likely a very good assumption. They wouldn't still be searching if they thought she wasn't in the area.

Keith

 

[Maddy]

Beth Upton was suffering the "early stages" of Alzheimer's. The quotes because early transitions to later stages sometimes without notice. I have been on and reviewed enough searches for the elderly with Alzheimer's. It rarely turns out well.

They will likely find this woman not far from her home (often less than a mile but not always).
Keith

I sure do hope they find her and that this does not end like Pat in Sheffield VT. It appears that they are really searching for Beth and still no trace of her. Perhaps hunters will help out.

 

[Maddy]

Not that often, but every now and then Lauky will kind of freak me out by indicating over an extended period that something is out there following us, yet I never see it or hear it.

I generally figure that it is either a cat of some sort or a coyote. I'm sure sometimes it is. Last Saturday while going up the Scaur Ridge trail it happened again. For a good ten minutes or more he kept turning around and indicating that there was something off the trail. I never saw anything and after a bit he quit. Then on our way back down in about the same area I heard voices. It was only for a short moment and I was sure we were either going to catch up with someone or that someone one was coming towards us. Neither took place. When we hit Livermore Rd I thought we would see someone or a group up ahead on one of the long open stretches but we never did. Nor was there anyone in the parking lot loading up when we arrived.

I didn't think much about it at the time, but now you've got me wondering about those voices.

Interesting. It's good to have a dog. They do have a great sense of things and can give us fair warning.

 

[griffin]

Interesting. It's good to have a dog. They do have a great sense of things and can give us fair warning.

OT: I think it's wonderful to have a dog. I love hiking with them, and I do suspect the Augster would be good protection against two-legged trouble-makers (if only to make me seem less like a target).

But having seen him take off after coyotes, and having heard about more than a few canine-instigated bear problems, I have a little less faith in his "good sense" and am mindful that he's probably more likely to get me into trouble than keep me out of it.

Condolences all around.

 

[Snowflea]

I sure do hope they find her and that this does not end like Pat in Sheffield VT. It appears that they are really searching and still no trace of her. Perhaps hunters will help out.

Her body has been found:

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=13271759

Her poor, poor family...

 

[forestgnome]

Very sad...I'm quite sure that I spoke to this man the evening before, a nice man who looked to be in his mid 60's with two other women and they were from Michigan. They were out on the Kancamagus hoping to see moose and I gave them some tips. He seemed like a very nice person.

I was also out there at the trailhead when rescue folks arrived. We talked it over and I went to search the river but I had a feeling he didn't make it. I kept thinking about the two women and how they were enjoying it all one moment and then their world changed.