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L/RAIN Temp: 46 °F Wind: W at 8 mph Monday, April 21, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 8, 2003 Body of Grants Pass 5-year-old boy found Monday By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune GRANTS PASS — Searchers on Monday discovered the body of a 5-year-old boy who possibly wandered away from his family’s front yard Sunday with his dog. The body of Connor Sutherland was found about 20 feet down a steep embankment, off a logging road about a half-mile from his family’s home. His dog, Lobo, was sitting with the boy’s body, Josephine County sheriff’s investigators said. Connor’s shirt and blue jeans were on, but his tennis shoes were missing, police said. There were no initial signs of foul play, said sheriff’s Lt. Brian Anderson, but detectives had yet to rule whether the death was accidental. "We kept holding out hope because the dog didn’t go home, and we figured the dog would probably stay with him," Anderson said. "He stayed there the whole time. "This just hits you in the pit of the stomach," Anderson said. Connor was last seen playing with Lobo, a St. Bernard/Great Dane cross, in the front yard of his family’s home on the 800 block of Summit Loop Road south of Grants Pass, deputies said. Family members had noticed him missing about 1 p.m. Sunday. Search crews combed the area Sunday night and early Monday, as temperatures dipped to near 40 degrees. The discovery at 10:30 a.m. by a Grants Pass couple who volunteered for the search, brought a grim end to a massive hunt for Connor on foot and in the air. About 100 searchers, a third of whom were local citizen volunteers touched by the boy’s plight, fanned across the Summit Loop area just west of Grants Pass. The search was aided by Lane County search-dog teams as well as Jackson County Search and Rescue officials and teams of searchers on horseback. The Oregon Air National Guard joined in by sending a helicopter to sweep the area. After the discovery, some crews changed course and began searching back toward the family’s house for Connor’s missing tennis shoes, Anderson said. A stress debriefing was held Monday evening for searchers, some of whom remain shocked at the outcome, Anderson said. "It’s obviously not something you want out of a search," Anderson said. "You want to find people and get them home to their families. This is pretty bad." Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S