Missing senior found safe after spending 2 nights outdoors
There was relief in the Comox Valley Monday after a 72-year-old man was located after he was missing since Saturday evening.
David Pineo suffers from speech and mobility issues after a series of strokes and there were concerns for his welfare after his scooter was discovered unmanned Saturday evening.
“It was pretty scary. We saw the keys missing. When we started looking around, we realized the river was really close and I got chills from seeing that,” says Justin Lagasse who located the scooter along a trail.
Lagasse was assisting his mother Suzanne Taylor in trying to find Pineo in Bracken Park after he went missing. Taylor is neighbours with the senior and wanted to ensure the man would see her familiar face amongst the rescuers after he had been located.
“He recognized me right away, he put thumbs up and that’s the best thing,” says Taylor.
The senior was found safe but dehydrated after spending two evenings outdoors.
“He looked . He just had a really bad headache. He is bush-wise and he was a diver before and he does have some experience so I’m glad, for being 72, being in the woods and getting cold at night,” Taylor says.
Seven volunteer search and rescue teams along with members of Oyster River Fire Rescue and the RCMP also tried to locate Pineo. Eventually it was a search dog and her handler from Nanaimo Search and Rescue who located him.
“Her ears were twitching and she’d perked up and she was quite interested in noise from the bushes so we stopped and listened and we could hear him yelling,” says Nanaimo Search and Rescue member Carly Trobridge.
Trobridge and team member Pamela Blaikie had stopped momentarily while conducting their search. She says Pineo was much more verbal than they initially believed he would be.
“He was very grateful and relieved to be found,” she says. “You could see he was exhausted, dehydrated, right away we gave him water and he kept asking for more water. He drank lots.”
Searchers hope to learn more about why the man ventured to where he did in the coming days once he has recovered.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.