FIND JALIEK TASK FORCE SCHEDULES SEARCHES FOR JALIEK

The Find Jaliek Task Force has scheduled the first three searches in a series of planned searches that will take place throughout the summer.  The first search will take place at 11:00am, Saturday, May 31^st in Merck National Forest in Vermont at the recommendation of the New York State Forest Rangers and Greenwich Police Chief George Bell.  Merck Forest is being searched because Jocelyn McDonald and Stephen Kerr, Jaliek’s adoptive parents and their children frequently hiked and camped there. The search will be lead by Jaliek’s maternal grandmother, Barbara Reeley who attended the New York State Forest Service’s Search and Rescue Training in April.  The search will be conducted by some of the 70 volunteer searchers that have registered with the Task Force via their website: www.findjaliek.org/search.htm.

Additional searches are scheduled for Saturday June 7th and Saturday June 21^st, also at Merck Forest.  Volunteers who would like to participate in these searches must first register on the website to be notified of details.

The first area to be grid-searched is accessed thru the rear entrance to the park.  To get to the back gate of Merck Forest you drive to Salem (north on route 22) at the stop light turn right (east), route 153.  Go 6.6 miles (you will cross into Vermont) and make a right on East road.  East road is just one house away from the house Jocelyn & Stephen live in.  It is almost across the street from Sherman's Store.  Turn right on East Road and go 2.2 miles (the road will turn into a dirt road) to Hidden Valley Road.  Go Left on Hidden Valley Road and go to the end of the road which will be the back gate of Merck Forest.

On Tuesday, May 27^th, the NYS Police divers went into the Hudson River to search the target that John Sanders of Texas Equusearch found behind the old Moradian’s building using his side scan sonar.  The target was found to be a large piece of metal.