Search for missing San Francisco teacher continues in Sierra

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue is still looking for 45-year-old Edward Cavanaugh who was last seen on July 17 riding his blue Yamaha YZ250 motorcycle in the Rock Creek trail system near Georgetown.

Search & Rescue (SAR) personnel have been actively searching since July 24 when notified he was overdue. To date, more than 250 volunteers have been involved in the search. Search assets have included the utilization of aircraft, foot teams, K9 teams, high angle rope teams, mounted (horseback) teams, OHV (4-wheel drive vehicles, motorcycles, and ATV’s), and the SAR Management unit. SAR Teams are led by experienced deputies and a sergeant assigned to the Sheriff’s Office OES (Office of Emergency Services).

Partners of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office has been teaming with CalOES. SAR volunteers responded from Placer County, Yolo County, Alpine County, Shasta County, Sacramento County, Marin County, Tehama County, and Stanislaus County in the search for Cavanaugh. Georgetown Fire was involved and opened their Station 62 as a Command Post and staging area. CHP aircraft and National Guard aircraft have been actively flying over the heavily forested and sometimes vertical terrain using sophisticated technology. CARDA dogs were deployed on July 27.

As of July 28, neither Edward nor his motorcycle have been found.

At this time, no foul play is suspected.

Management units have compiled all the information accumulated in the past week to include the designated search areas, search patterns, area saturation levels, and GPS trackers to do an overlay over maps and confirm each zone was covered as humanly as possible. For example, searchers using ropes to lower themselves into drainages and/or heavily treed, brush filled, rock faced canyons will result in lower saturation totals until the aircraft search patterns over the same spot are added in. The purpose was to look for any holes or gaps in coverage in case they needed to expand or revisit that area.

The Sheriff’s Office has been in continuous contact with the family and they have been updated regularly. They have been a big part of the search efforts and have been very helpful during this very trying time.

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Edward Cavanaugh or anything that would assist in the search, please contact the Sheriff’s Office through our non-emergence number at (530) 621-6600.