Missing man found safe after five hour search

A five-hour search for a missing 22-year-old handicapped man from Eureka Springs ended with good results Thursday evening as Jeremiah Summers was found sitting in a neighbor's house.

Joe Summers reported Jeremiah missing at 12:43 p.m. Thursday when his own efforts to locate him had failed.

The family lives on County Road (CR) 225, between CR 266 and 207/Onyx Cave Road on the northeast side of Eureka Springs.

"Joe said the young man had been missing since about 9 a.m.," said Holiday Island Fire Chief Jack Deaton, who coordinated the search.

Deaton alerted the S.O.R.T. (Special Operations Rescue Team) and the Holiday Island, Inspiration Point and Eureka Springs Fire Department volunteers asking for help.

Carroll County Sheriff Chuck Medford, sheriff's deputies from Benton County and Stone County, Mo., volunteered their help as well.

Deaton said two Benton County officers brought a helicopter into the area for an air search. Medford rode in the helicopter.

A Stone County deputy brought a search and rescue bloodhound to assist.

"The terrain on top of the ridges is pretty flat," Deaton said. "The hill sides were pretty rough. "Jeremiah's family said he wouldn't go into the woods."

The searchers actually missed the house where the the young man was staying.

"The house was secluded in the woods," Deaton said. "Some of the volunteers went down the road toward the house, but there was a locked gate. They didn't want to go onto private property, so they by passed the house."

Rescuers looked in other structures as they found them, thinking Jeremiah might have gone inside to get out of the heat.

"When Matt Davis came home about 6 p.m., he found Jeremiah sitting in his house," Deaton said. "He wasn't hurt. He was just sitting there with his dogs.

Jeremiah's two Great Pyrenees dogs, Samuel and Easy, stayed with him the entire day.

"Davis has seen the volunteers' vehicles in the area when he drove in. He brought Jeremiah to the command post," Deaton said.

Melody Summers, the boy's mother, said Jeremiah was known to be "quick" and had slipped out of the house, possibly following his father, who was headed to work, around 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

She talked with CCN reporter Anna Mathews Friday.

She said one of Jeremiah's brothers was supposed to be watching him.

After he was discovered missing, Melody said her husband was notified and he returned home.

"I was at work," she remembered. "My husband and our five other boys looked for Jeremiah for a couple of hours before they called me about 10:45 a.m.

"I'm so proud of those dogs," Melody commented. "They know. Pyrenees are wonderful that way. They knew to stay by his side."

In addition to the law enforcement and rescue personnel, scores of civilian volunteers came from near and far to help.

"I was real pleased with the way this all worked," Deaton said Friday. "We had a lot of people with rescue experience and a lot of volunteers. They formed teams and worked together very easily. A lot of the people brought in their four-wheelers to drive.

"It has been a while since we had to put together a search like this. Everyone was fantastic. The people at Sun Fest Market sent sandwiches and drinks out. Several churches contributed. It was just a great effort by everyone."

"I believe there were between 100 and 200 people who turned out," said Medford. "A lot of them were people who live in the area."

Medford was also impressed with the response.

"It was a shining example of the cooperation between agencies that has developed over time," he said. "Everyone pulling together with no hesitation. One phone call and everyone comes. That's the way it should be."

Melody wanted to thank everyone who helped with the search. "It was a tremendous effort," she said. "It truly amazed me. I am so grateful for everyone's help."

She said Jeremiah will have a tougher time slipping away in the future.

"We'll be keeping a closer watch," she said.