STORY BY KATE DALY
PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The search continues for a woman who has been missing for almost four years after her car was found parked at the Prairie Creek trailhead north of Ketchum.
Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation, a nonprofit based in California that assists families of missing hikers, is organizing a volunteer search to take place Aug. 10-18 for Fern Baird of Park City.
The 62-year-old signed the trailhead register at 1:17 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2020, and was reported missing after she did not return to check out of her hotel on Oct. 20.
Published reports describe a nine-day search by the Blaine County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team, which included three K9 units, two drones, several National Guard helicopters and officers on horseback and on foot combing through the Prairie Lakes area looking for the 5-foot-5 woman weighing about 115 pounds.
She was last seen on hotel security footage ready for hiking, wearing a light grey jacket, black pants and a black fanny pack. Those who know her describe her as someone who would not take risks such as iffy shortcuts. One theory is that perhaps she got disoriented and lost.
Fall-like weather turned to snow a few days into the search, and nothing was found other than Baird’s black Subaru Crosstrek.
Fowler-O’Sullivan Executive Director Cathy Tarr said that the group will check new areas of interest and add its tracks to the main search map.
The foundation’s motto is: “Every Hiker Deserves to Come Home.” They’ve been working to solve multiple cases for more than five years.
The group has worked on several cases, according to its website. Among them: 27-year-old Kyle Crowden who set off on a day hike to the Dry Creek Trail north of Boise in 2019. He was found by a hunter 30 feet from the trail six weeks later.
The group was also involved with the case of a man who went missing on the Pacific Crest Trail in California. Tarr and her team constructed possible scenarios to help with the search, along with safety gear and directions for a safe search. The group also found evidence that the original searchers had missed including a sock that wound up being a key clue.
Baird’s son Breck attends the foundation’s Peer Support Group.
Baird worked at Powder Beach Realty, selling homes and managing vacation rentals. She also designed the Yopa, a backpack for carrying yoga and other sporting equipment.
Ruth Mather put out a group email to fellow members of the Park City Mountain Sports Club to see if anyone would be willing to join in the search for member Baird this month.
“I’m just hoping to help since she was a friend,” Mather said.
Anyone who wishes to participate in the search should go to the Fowler O’Sullivan website at https://fofound.org and fill out a volunteer form.