Family dog returned to cabin without 19-year-old in PA. He’s found safe 2 days later
UPDATE: A 19-year-old who went missing in the Pennsylvania woods has been found safe, officials said.
Luke Rissler left his parent’s cabin at Pine Grove Furnace State Park and was last seen heading toward a bathroom in the afternoon on Dec. 19. The family dog went with Rissler, but when it returned to the cabin without him, his parents reported him missing, news outlets reported.
State and local authorities began searching for Rissler and, several hours later, were able to contact him on his phone, Park Manager Christopher Houck told McClatchy News in an email.
Search and rescue crews located Rissler around 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, officials told WHTM. Officials declined to offer more details about how or why Rissler went missing.
Original story continues below:
A 19-year-old man went missing while visiting a Pennsylvania state park with his family and authorities are scouring the woods to find him, state officials say.
Luke Rissler was last seen Dec. 19 leaving his parents cabin at Pine Grove Furnace State Park and walking toward a bathroom, along with the family dog, Pennsylvania State Police told TV station WGAL.
When the dog returned to the cabin without him around 4:30 p.m., Rissler’s parents reported him missing, TV station WPMT reported.
First responders from nearby counties, along with state rescue crews, began searching for Rissler at 5 p.m., officials told the outlet.
Rissler is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing roughly 175 pounds, The Sentinel reported. He has brown hair and eyes and was wearing a dark blue coat with jeans and sneakers.
Temperatures in the area dropped to 28 degrees on Dec. 19 and are expected to fall even lower in the days ahead.
Anyone with information on Rissler’s whereabouts is asked to contact authorities.
Situated about 136 miles west of Philadelphia, Pine Grove Furnace park features 696 acres of wilderness, encompassing a small piece of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian trail.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 9:21 AM.