A garbled and brief 9-1-1 call had North Shore Rescue volunteers mobilized and fanned out over Mount Seymour Friday afternoon, but the woman who made the call could not be found.
Rescuers say the caller probably found her way off the mountain safely on her own.
Now North Vancouver RCMP would like to hear from the woman just to be sure no one is still missing.
The call came around 4:30 p.m., just as a severe hail and lightning storm kicked up on Seymour but, unfortunately, the call dropped before the 9-1-1 operator could get much info from the caller.
It was very garbled. I listened to the tape, and what I could make out was it was single, adult female saying Im on Mount Seymour and I need help. But it was so garbled thats all we could discern, said Tim Jones, North Shore Rescue team leader.
The cell phone had no SIM card or GPS system, and was untraceable, making the search difficult.
Jones said the rescue response was swift and thorough, bringing in 22 North Shore Rescue members, two helicopters from the RCMP and Talon Helicopters, and all available staff on Seymour. A massive search from the mountains recreation area down to Deep Cove found no indication of anyone being lost.
My theory is that she was either on a chairlift or she was a snowshoer that was very close to the parking lot area and she was able to get out on her own and leave, Jones said.
But uncertainty lingers, and Jones would like to see the woman contact North Vancouver RCMP.
It would be a big favour for everyone of she would phone and say shes the person that made that call. Wed feel very good about the whole thing. No charges will be laid. We understand why that call would have been made, Jones said referring to the storm. It probably scared the hell out of a lot of people.
