Search for Brackebusch suspended

September 8, 2023

On Friday, September 8, 2023, Boundary County Sheriff's Office and the Boundary Search & Dive Rescue Team made the tough decision to suspend the search for missing 73-year-old Mark Brackebusch, who was reported as missing on August 31 and is believed to have been in the forest since around August 25. On the final day of the search over 60 trained people representing 20 organizations across five counties in three states were organized into 10 teams to search for Brackebusch.

Among the many searchers on Friday were several dog teams, a specialized man-tracking team, and a helicopter from Spokane Valley Search and Rescue and another helicopter from Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

The search for Mark Brackebusch was active from Friday, September 1, through Friday, September 8. An average of 15 daily volunteers put in approximately 2,400 personnel hours over an eight-day period searching the wilderness near the Shorty Peak trailhead, near where Brackebusch’s vehicle was found. Search patterns covered approximately 6,000 acres, but searchers were unable to locate any further signs or evidence.

Search managers consult statistics based on lost-person behavior, which are then used to develop strategies and tactics for searching a prioritized list of areas with highest probability of success. They also consider clues and factors such as the search location, terrain, weather, available resources and the subject’s relevant characteristics; age, physical condition, state of mind, clothing, outdoor experience, familiarity with the area, etc.

Searchers are then deployed in a deliberate, methodical manner to ensure coverage of areas with the highest probability of success first, then work down the priority list. Areas are searched multiple times.

The Sheriff's Office continues to seek tips in Brackebusch’s disappearance. Anyone who has heard from or seen Brackebusch since Thursday, August 25, is asked to contact Boundary County Dispatch at (208) 267-3151, extension 0.

The Boundary Search and Dive Rescue Team would like to thank the following teams and agencies for their assistance in the search effort, as well as several unaffiliated trained volunteers:

  - Bonner County Search and Rescue
  - Bonners Ferry Civil Air Patrol Flight
  - Boundary Ambulance
  - Boundary County Chaplains Corps
  - Boundary County Sheriff’s Office
  - Boundary Hikers
  - Curley Creek Volunteer Fire Department
  - David Thompson Search and Rescue, Libby
  - Hall Mountain Volunteer Fire Department
 - Idaho Disaster Dogs
 - Idaho K9 Task Force
 - Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit
 - Kootenai County Fire Department
 - Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office
 - Kootenai County Volunteer Search and Rescue
 - Moyie Springs Fire Department
  - North Bench Fire Association
  - Paradise Valley Fire District
  - Spokane County Search and Rescue
  - Spokane Valley Search and Rescue
  - Spokane Valley Sheriff’s Office
  - Spokane Valley Volunteer Search and Rescue

If you are interested in helping to find and rescue lost people, contact the Boundary Search and Dive Rescue Team by going to http://bsdrt.org.