An active search for a missing hunter in the Mayfield area of Fulton County ended after New York State Police found the person safe and in good health. New York State Police and Forest Rangers were involved in the search, though few details about the hunter or the circumstances of the disappearance have been released.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office said New York State Police and Forest Rangers were conducting the search in the Mayfield area, as reported by WRGB. New York State Police later found the hunter safe and in good health. Officials have not disclosed when the hunter was last seen or how long the search had been underway.
During the search, authorities said they did not need extra hands. The sheriff's office said officials were not requesting public support for the search effort and asked people to stay away from both the search area itself and the New York State Police barracks, per the same report.
Officials Asked the Public to Stay Clear
Officials asked people to avoid the area while the search was underway.
Fulton County sits within New York's Adirondack foothills, a region with a long history of hunters going missing in rugged, wooded terrain during the fall season. One of the more notable cases in the broader region involved Thomas Messick, an 82-year-old Troy resident who disappeared while hunting with friends near Horicon in mid-November 2015, according to the Times Union. Hundreds of searchers combed the woods and swamps by helicopter, canoe and on foot at the time but were unable to find him.
A Decade-Old Case Still Open
The Messick case remains unresolved even now. The Times Union reported that three state forest rangers recently joined 19 members of Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue to examine areas around Horicon that could reveal clues about his November 2015 disappearance, a reminder of how long these searches can stretch when the woods don't give up easy answers.
New York State Police found the hunter safe and in good health. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
