JournalStar.com

Search for presumed drowning victim suspended

By The Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Jun 23, 2008 - 10:37:19 pm CDT
The search for presumed drowning victim Mary Brake was suspended indefinitely Monday, according to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.

“The mission will not be called off until we can reunite Mary with her family,” Sheriff Joseph D. Hoy said in a press release. But searchers must wait for better conditions, he said.

Prominent Lincoln Realtor Mary Brake, her husband, Gene, and daughter Bayley were riding horseback on a guided trip across Beaver Creek when Mary’s horse stumbled while fording the swollen creek and Brake fell.

The creek was flowing Friday at 44,900 gallons per minute, the Denver Post reported earlier.

“We are at a point now where we have exhausted every option available for whitewater rescue with no results,” said Vail Mountain Rescue Coordinator and Incident Commander Dan Smith.