Local volunteers assist in successful search for Springfield man
June 16, 2022 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Donald Gurney / Photo courtesy Vt. State Police
UPDATE: This post was updated on June 17 with details from Waterbury and Stowe.
After a three-day search, a Springfield man with Alzheimer’s was found alive Thursday afternoon and was taken to a hospital, according to Vermont State Police.
An update on the case earlier on Thursday included Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team on a list of crews involved in a search for 65-year-old Donald I. Gurney.
Reached later, Backcountry Rescue Team Leader Brian Lindner said that only one crew member from Waterbury traveled to the search in Windsor County. Reports show that a crew member from Colchester joined the searchers from Waterbury and Stowe who were among some 60 searchers involved.
On Tuesday, June 14, shortly after midnight, state police at the Westminster barracks were notified of a missing person with Alzheimer’s on Gurney Road in the town of Springfield. That individual was identified as Gurney, police said.
On Wednesday, about 50 searchers continued looking for Gurney in the Cavendish area.
In addition to troopers, those involved included New England K9 Search and Rescue, Upper Valley Wilderness Search and Rescue, the Vermont Warden Service, Cavendish and Reading fire departments, Rescue Inc., Killington Search and Rescue, and a helicopter from the Vermont Army National Guard.
On Thursday morning, state police issued an update saying that the search was still ongoing and had grown to include additional personnel from Stowe Mountain Rescue, Colchester Technical Rescue, and Waterbury Backcountry Rescue.
At 4 p.m. Thursday, state police announced that the search had ended successfully. “During search operations Thursday afternoon, Donald Gurney was found alive in the town of Cavendish.”
A subsequent update around 6 p.m. filled in more details. Police said that at about 3:30 p.m. search crews located Gurney in a wooded area near Knapp Pond in Cavendish. “He was dehydrated but otherwise appeared to be in fair condition. Crews placed Mr. Gurney on a litter and carried him from the woods, where he was checked by medical personnel and then transported by ambulance to Springfield Hospital,” the state police statement said.
Stowe Mountain Rescue Facebook post screenshot. Click to enlarge
Gurney was located about 1.5 miles from Parker Hill Road in Cavendish, where crews had previously located his truck. Investigators believe he was out for a drive when he became disoriented, ultimately parking his vehicle on Parker Hill Road and setting off on foot before being reported missing early Tuesday morning, June 14.
In a social media post on Thursday, Stowe Mountain Rescue credited the K-9 team for the success. “It was mid-afternoon when one of New England K9’s amazing search dogs found the subject, to the enormous relief of everyone involved. It was a great find for a determined and committed team who had been working for three days straight,” the post says.
The Stowe agency also had high praise for the community support during the search: “The other hero of the day is the incredible community of Cavendish. The local Fire Department served as command post and it was literally inundated with donations of food and drink from local townsfolk who wanted to show their support for the search effort. The tables were groaning with food - even to the extent of special dog ice cream for the search dogs. It was magical. Cavendish should be intensely proud of what they have going on in their town.”
More than 60 people participated in the search, police said, including law enforcement, fire and rescue agencies and search organizations. “The Vermont State Police thanks all the searchers, participating agencies and members of the public who assisted in this successful effort,” state police said.