WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Shrewsbury Lake Searched for Missing Man
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Shrewsbury, Vermont - May 12, 2009
Vermont State Police took to the water Tuesday, hoping to shed new light on a 4-year old missing person's case.
"The tips that are coming in, the sightings are waning, but we're just going to continue to look, to do what we can," said Vt. State Police Sgt. Robert Patten.
Mike Hogan, 32, vanished May 16, 2005 and was last seen at the nearby Spring Lake Ranch. The working ranch treats people battling mental illness and addictions. Hogan was suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and was scheduled to spend the afternoon answering phones, but didn't show up for his shift.
"He was there at lunch time and it was right after lunch," explained Lynn Pilcher of Spring Lake Ranch. "It was like one minute he was there and the next minute he wasn't."
Search crews scoured the surrounding woods for several days but found nothing.
In the years since, police have followed up on dozens of tips and alleged sightings but all have led to dead ends. But recently there was a possible breakthrough in the case. Police took cadaver dogs out on the water and they pinpointed an area of interest.
Spring Lake is just up the road from the ranch. Divers had never searched the water because there was no evidence to indicate that's where Hogan was. That changed this winter. A witness came forward, claiming to have seen Hogan near the lake the day he disappeared. That prompted the search with dogs.
Police say they also discovered a series of sticks lined up along the shore the day of Hogan's disappearance which they believe may have been laid there by the obsessive compulsive man.
"Everything's on the table. Michael had some issues, but we really don't know what happened," Patten said.
"Our hope is Mike will be found, obviously found alive. We understand the need for the family to have some closure," Pilcher said.
Police have not ruled out suicide.
Search crews found no new signs of Hogan Tuesday. A New York State Police team may conduct another water search in the future using sonar.
Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
