Civilian Search team recovers missing airman
Yesterday afternoon, just two hours after being deployed, members of the Las Vegas based Red Rock Search and Rescue team located the vehicle and body of a missing Air force sergeant.
Members of the all-volunteer SAR team found the 1992 GMC four wheeler along with the body of Technical Sergeant Derek Langford a twelve year service member, just one mile from their Command Post located near the entrance to the Desert National Wildlife Area.
Sgt. Langford was last seen Tuesday evening when he reportedly went to test drive his newly purchased truck in the desert. His family reported him missing Thursday evening and his wife started a Facebook page called "Find Derek Safe" which prompted the activation of the Red Rock group on Friday.
Red Rock Commander David Cummings indicated that when found Sergeant Langford was still in his truck and his body contained a single gunshot wound to the head.
The Clark County Coroners office has ruled the death as a suicide.
Red Rock Search and Rescue is a recently formed organization that grew out of a grass roots effort to find hiker Ron Kirk who went missing in Red Rock Canyon. The volunteers located Kirk's body.
Since then they have trained and organized into a recognized search and rescue response team. They have deployed on a number of missions and in every case they successfully found the victim.
Red Rock SAR is committed to not ending a search until the victim is located. This often means that their volunteer mission begins after the salaried professional SAR teams have given up and gone home.
To date, the group has been able to successfully locate the victim in all of their missions.
Aside from a few donations, the team members fund the operation out of their own pockets.
Amateur radio plays a role in each of Red Rocks missions, as all of their Search Technicians and Advanced Specialists are required to have a Technician Class or higher license.
Members of the all-volunteer SAR team found the 1992 GMC four wheeler along with the body of Technical Sergeant Derek Langford a twelve year service member, just one mile from their Command Post located near the entrance to the Desert National Wildlife Area.
Sgt. Langford was last seen Tuesday evening when he reportedly went to test drive his newly purchased truck in the desert. His family reported him missing Thursday evening and his wife started a Facebook page called "Find Derek Safe" which prompted the activation of the Red Rock group on Friday.
Red Rock Commander David Cummings indicated that when found Sergeant Langford was still in his truck and his body contained a single gunshot wound to the head.
The Clark County Coroners office has ruled the death as a suicide.
Red Rock Search and Rescue is a recently formed organization that grew out of a grass roots effort to find hiker Ron Kirk who went missing in Red Rock Canyon. The volunteers located Kirk's body.
Since then they have trained and organized into a recognized search and rescue response team. They have deployed on a number of missions and in every case they successfully found the victim.
Red Rock SAR is committed to not ending a search until the victim is located. This often means that their volunteer mission begins after the salaried professional SAR teams have given up and gone home.
To date, the group has been able to successfully locate the victim in all of their missions.
Aside from a few donations, the team members fund the operation out of their own pockets.
Amateur radio plays a role in each of Red Rocks missions, as all of their Search Technicians and Advanced Specialists are required to have a Technician Class or higher license.
