Search efforts for Brackebusch continue in Boundary County

SHORTY PEAK — Search teams continued to look for Mark Brackebusch, 73, Tuesday in the area around the Shorty Peak trailhead in northwestern Boundary County.

Brackebusch was reported missing on Thursday, Aug. 31, after a friend checked his residence after not hearing from the man for a few days.

Crews from the Kootenai County Volunteer Search and Rescue team joined Boundary County searchers again Tuesday to continue searching in the Shorty Peak area on foot.

“[Tuesday’s] main objective was to cover previously searched areas by deploying search teams into areas that were identified by search dog activity yesterday as being higher probability areas,” said Andrew O’Neel, Boundary County public information officer. “The searching is slow and methodical, with searchers moving forward together in a line through the terrain.”

O’Neel said search and rescue crews have exhausted all known leads and clues in their search for the missing man. Likely locations have been searched multiple times using resources from the five northern counties, he said. Over the next two days, more local and regional resources will be organized and coordinated, including aircraft, dog teams and fresh ground crews, to provide for a maximum effort on Friday.

If anyone has seen Brackebush or has any information concerning his whereabouts, they are asked to call Boundary County Dispatch at 208-267-3151, extension 0.

Three other people have gone missing in Boundary County this summer. Two were recovered after a day. In June, a missing mushroom picker was found after four days.