Search called off at Northstar for Truckee man missing since Christmas

TAHOE CITY, Calif. - The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has suspended emergency rescue operations at Northstar Ski Resort for missing skier Rory Angelotta. They determined there is no realistic possibility Rory has survived the severe winter conditions since he went missing on Christmas Day at the resort.

A scaled response is still planned for recovery operations at the resort.

Over six days, a combined total of over 13,000 personnel hours have been committed to the operation. Approximately 220 personnel from 17 different agencies and rescue organizations have braved extreme winter mountain conditions in their search for Rory. The search conditions included high winds, whiteout conditions, overnight temperatures in the teens, and over seven feet of new snow since the beginning of the search. Resources deployed included Nordic skiers, snowshoers, snowcats, snowmobiles, a Blackhawk helicopter, and a CHP helicopter deploying advanced aerial borne radar technology.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office is thanking the following organizations for their tremendous outpouring of support:

Northstar Ski Patrol, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue (SAR), Placer County SAR, Nevada County SAR, Washoe County SAR, Butte County SAR, Marin County SAR, Bay Area Mountain SAR, Douglas County SAR, Yosemite SAR, Tahoe Back County Ski Patrol, area resort Ski Patrol, National Ski Patrol, Nevada Air National Guard, California Highway Patrol, Northstar California Ski Resort, and Northstar Fire.

"This was a difficult decision, especially for the volunteers who have worked so hard to bring Rory home. Unfortunately, it was a decision that had to be made. Our hearts go out to the family," said the department on Facebook.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office was contacted at 9:57 p.m. on December 25 after Truckee resident, Rory Angelotta, 43, did not show up at a planned dinner with friends. Rory had told friends he was going skiing and at 11:30 a.m. Christmas Day, his ski pass was scanned at the Comstock lift. There was no other activity registered to his pass since that time.

An emergency ping on Rory’s phone last showed a short call made from the Northstar area at 11:25 a.m. before his phone was turned off, according to the sheriff's office.

Angelotta’s vehicle was also found parked in the Northstar parking lot.