With no leads, the search for Florida woman comes to a halt
Grand County Search and Rescue/Courtesy photo
The search for Svetlana Ustimenko, a woman in her mid-50s from Florida, has ended according to a news brief from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have allocated a tremendous amount of time and resources to finding Ustimenko according to the news brief.
Ustimenko had rented the car and parked it at the Deadhorse Trailhead area off of Grand County Road 73, near the town of Fraser. While it was parked in Arapaho National Forest, forest service employees noticed that the car had been left there for an extended period of time with no signs of activity during the week of July 31, stated the news brief.
After some investigation by the forest service employees, it was discovered that the car was scheduled to be returned to the rental company on Aug. 10. However, the deadline to return the car came and went with no sign of Ustimenko.
On the evening of Aug. 11, officers began the search for Ustimenko near the rental car. According to the sheriff’s office, the extensive search was completed on Aug. 13 with the help of various search and rescue groups. They were unable to locate any leads on Ustimenko’s whereabouts.
The search continued and on Aug. 20 another extensive search was completed. This search included over 25 people working as well as six cadaver dogs, dogs trained to sniff out human remains. This search also came up with no clues or signs of Ustimenko.
Grand County Search and Rescue have estimated that around 750 volunteer hours have been devoted to the search efforts.
On Aug. 22, the sheriff’s office declared that they have suspended the search unless any additional clues or information surfaces. Grand County Search and Rescue has said they may continue to conduct smaller scale operations in the search in areas of higher probability.
Ustimenko’s family shared with authorities that she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and was struggling to cope with the fact.
The Deadhorse Trailhead area is commonly used by hikers, mountain bikers and other recreational enthusiasts. The search and investigation for this missing woman is ongoing. If anyone has seen Svetlana Ustimenko please call the non-emergency phone number for Dispatch at 970-725-3311.
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