Team members from Lone Star Search and Rescue gather prior to training one weekend. The group is comprised of multiple teams including six K-9 teams, Flankers (the person responsible for communication, navigation and first aid), Command, ATV and Outreach. The nonprofit was started by five years ago by Michele and Terry Benjamin. (Courtesy photo)
When Lucas resident Diane Leigh went missing last May, the Collin County Sheriff’s Department and Lucas Fire Department conducted a search for hours with no luck.
The 71-year-old woman was last seen helping her husband with yardwork, and when he went inside, she wandered off. A neighbor’s surveillance camera had footage of her and the direction she wandered, but search efforts soon stalled.
Lance Gant, Assistant Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator for Lucas Fire-Rescue felt that they needed additional assistance in finding the missing woman. He contacted the fire chief and city manager who approved Gant’s idea to call in a unique ministry that works to bring home the lost and missing; Lone Star Search and Rescue, a K-9 search and rescue team.
By the time LSSAR reported on scene at noon May 17, Ms. Leigh had been missing for 24 hours and the prospect of finding her alive was grim.
By Sonia Duggan • Associate Publisher • [email protected]
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