AK SAWYER CIPOLLA: Missing from Kodiak, AK - 7 May 2022 - Age 7 *Found Deceased*

Nearly a thousand volunteers join the ongoing search for missing 7-year-old boy in Kodiak

Sawyer Cipolla went missing Saturday afternoon.

www.alaskapublic.org

Nearly a thousand volunteers join the ongoing search for missing 7-year-old boy in Kodiak​

Hundreds of people in Kodiak continue to search for 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla.

Cipolla went missing Saturday afternoon near his home off Three Sisters Way, in a heavily wooded part of the island.

Alaska State Troopers are in charge of the ongoing search, which nearly 1,000 volunteers have joined since Cipolla was reported missing, according to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain. That includes local pilots, ground searchers and horseback teams, plus various members of local law enforcement, Kodiak Island Search and Rescue, Coast Guard Base Kodiak and U.S. Navy Seals. K9 teams from Anchorage and Mat-Su are also assisting.

Cipolla was last seen wearing gray pants, an Under Armour brand camouflage hoodie and hiking boots, said troopers. He is white with brown hair and brown eyes, and is four and a half feet tall.

Sawyer is autistic and searchers were told he responds to the name “Brigadier,” or vocal howling. He also answers to the phrase “come on in.”

On Sunday, dozens of people gathered outside the Bayside Volunteer Fire Department — just outside of Kodiak city limits — to help with the search. New arrivals were assigned to a search team before heading out into the field. The group included families with children. For some, like Kodiak resident Jingkie Christescu, Sunday was their second day searching, and it was more coordinated than the day before.

Search Continues for Missing Child on Kodiak Island for Third Day - Alaska Native News

The Kodiak search, now in its third day, for 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla, has yet to gain any results for the estimated 950 ground searchers, pilots and horseback teams that combed the Monashka Bay and surrounding areas through the weekend and today. Sawyer, described as autistic, was last seen at...

alaska-native-news.com

Search Continues for Missing Child on Kodiak Island for Third Day​

The Kodiak search, now in its third day, for 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla, has yet to gain any results for the estimated 950 ground searchers, pilots and horseback teams that combed the Monashka Bay and surrounding areas through the weekend and today.

Sawyer, described as autistic, was last seen at his home on Forest Drive just prior to noon on Saturday. He was reported as missing approximately 30 minutes later at 12:20 pm. Troopers immediately responded and searched without success. By 6:45 pm that evening there were approximately 100 searchers looking for Sawyer.


MEDIA - SAWYER CIPOLLA: Missing from Kodiak, AK since 7 May 2022 - Age 7

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

****URGENT**** SEVEN YEAR OLD SAWYER DESPAIN MISSING FROM KODIAK ALASKA!!! #SAWYERDESPAIN #ALASKA

The Kodiak Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers are asking for your assistance with locating an autistic 7-year-old boy named Sawyer, who has been missing in the Monashka Bay

www.kodiakdailymirror.com

URGENT SEVEN YEAR OLD SAWYER DESPAIN MISSING FROM KODIAK ALASKA!!! #SAWYERDESPAIN #ALASKA​

The Kodiak Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers are asking for your assistance with locating an autistic 7-year-old boy named Sawyer, who has been missing in the Monashka Bay Road area since Saturday morning.

AST says that Sawyer was last seen on Forest Drive off of Three Sister’s Way at just after noon, when last seen, he was wearing gray pants and a camouflage top.

Homeowners are asked to check garages, sheds, and other places where a child can hide.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Hundreds of people in Kodiak search for 7-year-old missing since Saturday

Sawyer Cipolla went missing from home, authorities say. Searchers from Kodiak, Anchorage and Mat-Su are looking for him.

www.adn.com

Hundreds of people in Kodiak search for 7-year-old missing since Saturday​

The search for a missing 7-year-old Kodiak boy continued Monday after he disappeared from his home Saturday, authorities say.

As many as 950 people turned out Sunday to look for Sawyer Cipolla, Alaska State Troopers said. The search continued Monday with more than 400 participants including ground searchers, multiple dog teams, and people using aircraft, thermal drones, and boats.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kodiak community still holding out hope as search for missing 7-year-old enters fifth day

Sawyer Cipolla was last seen May 7 at his home. Since then, hundreds of locals assisted by search-and-rescue agencies have combed a 15-square-mile area without success.

www.adn.com

Kodiak community still holding out hope as search for missing 7-year-old enters fifth day​

A committed corps of local volunteers kept up the search Wednesday for Sawyer Cipolla, the 7-year-old boy missing in Kodiak since he disappeared from his home Saturday.

Searchers returned to the Bayside Volunteer Fire Department station in Kodiak on Wednesday to start a new day of combing trails, thick brush and steep terrain for Cipolla. The boy is on the autism spectrum, authorities say, and doesn’t respond to his name when called.

There have been no new leads in the search for the boy since he went missing, organizers say.


Despite a lack of clues about the boy’s whereabouts, hopes are still high that he will be found, Williams said, adding that incident commander Aaron Griffin rallies the searchers every day with speeches that move people to tears.

“When we go out, we are very much looking to find an alive Sawyer,” she said Wednesday. “Everyone remains very hopeful and positive.”


Community members who wanted to help search Wednesday were already gathering outside the fire station before a noon briefing even began, Williams said. About 150 people had turned out Wednesday afternoon, though those numbers were expected to grow as people got off work for the day.

Jobs and fatigue are reducing search numbers somewhat, but locals remain dogged, determined and optimistic, she said. “It’s still an impressive amount.”

 

[Kimster]

I’m so thankful the community continues to search!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Eagle River couple volunteers to search for Sawyer with thermal imaging drone

When Kaitlin Igel and Laren Smith of Vertex Aerial Solutions LLC came to Kodiak, they did not expect to be a part of a search team.

www.kodiakdailymirror.com

Eagle River couple volunteers to search for Sawyer with thermal imaging drone​

When Kaitlin Igel and Laren Smith of Vertex Aerial Solutions LLC came to Kodiak, they did not expect to be a part of a search team.

The wife-and-husband duo flew in May 5 to use a thermal imaging drone to observe heat escapement in buildings in the Kodiak Island Borough School District. While the two of them were on the island, Sawyer Cipolla, an autistic 7-year-old boy, went missing.

KIBSD Director of Maintenance Darin Hargraves and his brother, Damon, who is KIBSD director of federal programs, asked them if they would use their drones to help search for Cipolla in the woods. It was hardly a question for Igel and Smit

“There was a kid missing, [we couldn’t] leave,” Smith said. “We had a tool that wasn’t readily available, and they were still trying to organize and get equipment and dog teams in. You can either choose to act or not act, and I could not live knowing that I did not act.”



Smith and Igel spent the weekend searching for Cipolla with their drone. Smith flew the drone from a vehicle which Damon and Darin drove. While that was happening, Igel was either volunteering on a ground-search team or stitching together the photos that the drone took from the Incident Command Center to create thermal heat maps.

Volunteers were dispatched to search some of the hotspots that were identified on those thermal maps.

The four of them worked from 9 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday, and then from 10 a.m. Sunday to midnight, Smith said. During that time, the drone took between 3,500 to 4,000 photos and covered around 300 acres.

Igel and Smith finally flew home on Monday once they were told that they were no longer needed, Igel said.

“We really, really hope that he is found,” Igel said. “I have a little sister and every night we went back, it was hard to sleep, it was hard to think about anything other than what can we do?”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Search for Sawyer goes on despite no new leads

Alaska State Troopers had not had a new lead on the search for Sawyer Cipolla for more than 24 hours, as of 2 p.m. Thursday, according to AST dispatch reports.

www.kodiakdailymirror.com

Search for Sawyer goes on despite no new leads​

Alaska State Troopers had not had a new lead on the search for Sawyer Cipolla for more than 24 hours, as of 2 p.m. Thursday, according to AST dispatch reports. Cipolla, who went missing from his house off Forest Drive on Saturday afternoon, is a 7-year-old boy with autism who does not speak.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the list of agencies searching for Cipolla, according to Chloe Martin, a public information officer for the FBI.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

FACEBOOK - Search for Sawyer - Kodiak, Alaska

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

FYI, Kodiak is on an Alaskan island (Kodiak Island). This is the search area. Dense trees very close to water (Gulf of Alaska).

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Tactics change in search for Sawyer Cipolla

Alaska State Troopers announced today that they are changing their search tactics for Sawyer Cipolla, a 7-year-old with autism who went missing from his home last weekend.

www.kodiakdailymirror.com

Tactics change in search for Sawyer Cipolla​

Alaska State Troopers announced today that they are changing their search tactics for Sawyer Cipolla, a 7-year-old with autism who went missing from his home last weekend.

Going forward, State Troopers and Alaska State Wildlife Troopers will be conducting a limited search, which means that law enforcement officers and professionals will search for Cipolla only when they receive viable tips, AST Statewide Search and Rescue Coordinator Lt. Paul Fussey said at a Saturday press conference.

“The search for Sawyer is not over today. However, it will be taking a new shape,” Fussey said.


The ongoing theory is that Cipolla walked off steep cliffs in Monashka Bay during the nighttime and was washed away by the tides, according to State Trooper Lt. Josh Boyle, who led the Incident Management Team. This theory was derived from scent trails found by multiple K9 units, he said.

Kodiak Island Search and Rescue has searched the cliffs and the beach where investigators believe Cipolla could have disappeared on Friday and will be investigating them again today, according to Boyle.

Boyle is urging anyone who has not already checked their sheds or crawl spaces to do so, he said. This is not the end of the search, Boyle emphasized.

“The case will remain open until Sawyer is found,” Boyle said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'Humbling and awe-inspiring': after huge community response, the search for Sawyer Cipolla enters new phase - KMXT 100.1 FM

The Alaska State Troopers are winding down their active search and rescue operation for 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla – who went missing near his home in the

kmxt.org

‘Humbling and awe-inspiring’: after huge community response, the search for Sawyer Cipolla enters new phase​

The Alaska State Troopers are winding down their active search and rescue operation for 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla – who went missing near his home in the Monashka Bay Road area of Kodiak on Sat., May 7. The change in strategy was announced at a Saturday morning media briefing held by the Alaska State Troopers on May 14.

Alaska Wildlife Trooper Josh Boyle is the incident commander for the search. He said Troopers believe the boy may have gone over a cliff and into the water based on searches by two K9 teams, who picked up Cipolla’s scent in steep terrain near his home.

“I’ll be the first to admit that’s an imperfect scenario, but it is possible,” said Boyle. “And based on all the measures taken and lack of any other evidence or clues on both the search and rescue and investigation sides of this search effort so far, it’s the most plausible explanation that we have.”

An extensive investigation led by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation has not uncovered any evidence of foul play, according to the Alaska State Troopers.


“It was both humbling and awe-inspiring to see the magnitude of generosity displayed over this past week, truly defining what it means to be a community and a family coming together in a time of tragedy,” said Boyle.

Boyle said he had spoken to the Cipolla family as recently as Saturday morning.

“They ask that I pass on to the public their extreme thanks as well, and ask the public to not give up, and to always keep a watchful eye,” Boyle said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Body of missing 7-year-old boy found on Kodiak's Pillar Mountain

Troopers said there were no obvious signs of foul play identified at the scene and the investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.

www.alaskapublic.org

Body of missing 7-year-old boy found on Kodiak’s Pillar Mountain​

The body of 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla was found Sunday on Kodiak’s Pillar Mountain, according to Alaska State Troopers. Cipolla went missing just over a week ago.

Two adults recreating in the area of the mountain found his body around 12:30 p.m., said a statement from troopers.

“There were no obvious signs of foul play,” it said.

The investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing and his body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s officer for autopsy, said troopers.

 

[Whatsnext]

Body of missing 7-year-old boy found on Kodiak's Pillar Mountain

Troopers said there were no obvious signs of foul play identified at the scene and the investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.

www.alaskapublic.org

Body of missing 7-year-old boy found on Kodiak’s Pillar Mountain​

The body of 7-year-old Sawyer Cipolla was found Sunday on Kodiak’s Pillar Mountain, according to Alaska State Troopers. Cipolla went missing just over a week ago.

Two adults recreating in the area of the mountain found his body around 12:30 p.m., said a statement from troopers.

“There were no obvious signs of foul play,” it said.

The investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing and his body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s officer for autopsy, said troopers.

My heart goes out to his family. How unusual that he was found on a mountain, IIRC there are studies that children will walk the path of least resistence, downhill, when lost. Very sad

 

[Guess Who]

My heart goes out to his family. How unusual that he was found on a mountain, IIRC there are studies that children will walk the path of least resistence, downhill, when lost. Very sad

Autistic children break many molds. He might have been following something he saw that caught his eye. That area is mountainous so also not unusual to find him on a mountain because that is the terrain there. That would be like finding a child "on a hill" in my area. To me it would matter more what elevation he was found vs the elevation where he was last seen and how far away he was found and if it happened to be on the total opposite side of the mountain from where he disappeared.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I wonder if he was on a path or in a known recreational area since found by a couple doing recreation. Kodiak just sounds so wild. I'm happy they found him and have answers but sad at the outcome of course.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I'm not surprised about where he ended up. This mountainous area is close to where he disappeared.
It is slightly concerning, though, that they "concluded" that he fell off a cliff into the ocean when he did no such thing.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kodiak boy missing for over a week died of hypothermia, troopers say

Sawyer Cipolla’s disappearance prompted a massive search effort and outpouring of support. Troopers say exposure to the elements caused his death.

www.adn.com

Kodiak boy missing for over a week died of hypothermia, troopers say​

A 7-year-old Kodiak boy who was missing on the island for over a week died of hypothermia, brought on by exposure to outdoor elements, Alaska State Troopers say.

Sawyer Cipolla disappeared from his home May 7, igniting a widespread search effort. The boy, who was on the autism spectrum, was found dead on Sunday near the Kodiak Electric Association wind turbine power project on Pillar Mountain, about 3 1/2 miles as the crow flies from his home. His body was spotted by people using binoculars to conduct a bird survey.

After reviewing “all of the facts and evidence,” troopers said in an online report that they determined Cipolla died of hypothermia and that there were no indications of foul play. A preliminary report from the state medical examiner corroborates that finding, troopers said.

 

[Mel70]

Autistic children break many molds. He might have been following something he saw that caught his eye. That area is mountainous so also not unusual to find him on a mountain because that is the terrain there. That would be like finding a child "on a hill" in my area. To me it would matter more what elevation he was found vs the elevation where he was last seen and how far away he was found and if it happened to be on the total opposite side of the mountain from where he disappeared.

Thank you very much for the information Guessy. And they are attracted to water. So you really hope when an autistic child goes missing there are no bodies of water in the area.

 

[Mel70]

Kodiak boy missing for over a week died of hypothermia, troopers say

Sawyer Cipolla’s disappearance prompted a massive search effort and outpouring of support. Troopers say exposure to the elements caused his death.

www.adn.com

Kodiak boy missing for over a week died of hypothermia, troopers say​

A 7-year-old Kodiak boy who was missing on the island for over a week died of hypothermia, brought on by exposure to outdoor elements, Alaska State Troopers say.

Sawyer Cipolla disappeared from his home May 7, igniting a widespread search effort. The boy, who was on the autism spectrum, was found dead on Sunday near the Kodiak Electric Association wind turbine power project on Pillar Mountain, about 3 1/2 miles as the crow flies from his home. His body was spotted by people using binoculars to conduct a bird survey.

After reviewing “all of the facts and evidence,” troopers said in an online report that they determined Cipolla died of hypothermia and that there were no indications of foul play. A preliminary report from the state medical examiner corroborates that finding, troopers said.

The Poor child suffered. It's bad enough he's deceased.

 

[Mel70]

I'm not surprised about where he ended up. This mountainous area is close to where he disappeared.
It is slightly concerning, though, that they "concluded" that he fell off a cliff into the ocean when he did no such thing.

I think maybe became most deaths in the area are due to that. Or thought as a child he would be curious and not know the dangers. But that should be a possibility, Not a conclusion.