Looking for Lee
Donation protected
THE STORY
On November 3rd 2018 our dad, Lee Peltier, set out to go hunting with three of his friends in the Nemadji State Forest, along the Gandy Dancer Trail near Belden. It was deer hunting opener and their plan was to intentionally split the group up in hopes of increasing their likelihood of tracking a deer. They were to meet back at the cabin around noon to eat and regroup but Lee never showed. It wasn’t until that evening, when the sun started to go down, that the other members of the hunting party grew increasingly concerned that he still hadn’t come back. On November 4th he was officially reported as a missing person and we have been extensively searching for him ever since!
We believe our dad got turned around while hunting (which is SO easy to do up there) and attempted to find his way back. That day he went missing, the weather was sunny and warm but drastically turned to cold, rain and snow that evening. Unfortunately, he was not prepared for the cold weather. He was wearing a red sweatshirt, blaze orange vest and hat and he was carrying a riffle. He did not have a GPS or compass with him.
Knowing our dad, he would have walked to find his way back but also to stay warm. He was physically fit and could have easily walked 20 miles before the sun set. He may have tried to climb a tree to get cell phone service. We know that he tired to make three phone calls to his fellow hunting buddies around 1:45 pm (but there is relatively NO cell phone service up there). We began the search at his last known location and have extensively searched a 2-3 mile radius around the LKL.
Anyone who has helped us search thus far, or is familiar with area, knows how rough the terrain is out there. The woods are so thick it can be hard to see or hear someone 20 feet away from you. It is also surrounded by swamps, bogs and wetland making it difficult and dangerous to search and navigate.
We have had so much help searching from hundreds of amazing volunteers including friends/family, Pine County and St. Louis County officials, the John Francis Foundation (JFF), Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) Search & Rescue, several Search and Rescue dog teams/organizations, and the Civil Air Patrol. But because we have yet to find our dad, the search continues!! There is so much ground we have yet to cover...
THE COSTS
...This is where we NEED your help! JFF & CAM are non-profit volunteer organizations who have been helping and organizing our searches. Search teams include a combination of professional Search and Rescue volunteers, cadaver dog teams, and civilian volunteers. Although CAM, JFF and the dog teams are 100% volunteer, we are asking for help with reimbursement for their:
-Travel costs
-Lodging
-Food
These amazing volunteers travel to help us from Iowa, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and all over Minnesota. Based on past searches, we estimate the cost per search to be $1,500/day. We hope to continue searching until we can bring our dad home!! If you can find it in your hearts to help us, no donation is too small. And please share this link on your social media.
We couldn't possibly put a price-tag on what closure would mean to our family but we plan to search until we bring him home...and any funds that are not used for our search will be donated to JFF to help other families find their missing loved ones.
Thank you in advance!!
Katie, Megan and David
On November 3rd 2018 our dad, Lee Peltier, set out to go hunting with three of his friends in the Nemadji State Forest, along the Gandy Dancer Trail near Belden. It was deer hunting opener and their plan was to intentionally split the group up in hopes of increasing their likelihood of tracking a deer. They were to meet back at the cabin around noon to eat and regroup but Lee never showed. It wasn’t until that evening, when the sun started to go down, that the other members of the hunting party grew increasingly concerned that he still hadn’t come back. On November 4th he was officially reported as a missing person and we have been extensively searching for him ever since!
We believe our dad got turned around while hunting (which is SO easy to do up there) and attempted to find his way back. That day he went missing, the weather was sunny and warm but drastically turned to cold, rain and snow that evening. Unfortunately, he was not prepared for the cold weather. He was wearing a red sweatshirt, blaze orange vest and hat and he was carrying a riffle. He did not have a GPS or compass with him.
Knowing our dad, he would have walked to find his way back but also to stay warm. He was physically fit and could have easily walked 20 miles before the sun set. He may have tried to climb a tree to get cell phone service. We know that he tired to make three phone calls to his fellow hunting buddies around 1:45 pm (but there is relatively NO cell phone service up there). We began the search at his last known location and have extensively searched a 2-3 mile radius around the LKL.
Anyone who has helped us search thus far, or is familiar with area, knows how rough the terrain is out there. The woods are so thick it can be hard to see or hear someone 20 feet away from you. It is also surrounded by swamps, bogs and wetland making it difficult and dangerous to search and navigate.
We have had so much help searching from hundreds of amazing volunteers including friends/family, Pine County and St. Louis County officials, the John Francis Foundation (JFF), Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) Search & Rescue, several Search and Rescue dog teams/organizations, and the Civil Air Patrol. But because we have yet to find our dad, the search continues!! There is so much ground we have yet to cover...
THE COSTS
...This is where we NEED your help! JFF & CAM are non-profit volunteer organizations who have been helping and organizing our searches. Search teams include a combination of professional Search and Rescue volunteers, cadaver dog teams, and civilian volunteers. Although CAM, JFF and the dog teams are 100% volunteer, we are asking for help with reimbursement for their:
-Travel costs
-Lodging
-Food
These amazing volunteers travel to help us from Iowa, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and all over Minnesota. Based on past searches, we estimate the cost per search to be $1,500/day. We hope to continue searching until we can bring our dad home!! If you can find it in your hearts to help us, no donation is too small. And please share this link on your social media.
We couldn't possibly put a price-tag on what closure would mean to our family but we plan to search until we bring him home...and any funds that are not used for our search will be donated to JFF to help other families find their missing loved ones.
Thank you in advance!!
Katie, Megan and David
Fundraising team (2)
Katie Nelson
Organizer
Raised $6,270 from 77 donations
Stillwater, MN
Megan DeCorsey
Team member
Raised $1,430 from 18 donations
This team raised $2,420 from 34 other donations.
