when someone disappears.

 Tuolumne Coty Sheriff

Good evening,

The criminal investigations division of the Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation regarding the reported disappearance of John Stivers. During the course of this investigation, detectives authored several search warrants and collected evidence relevant to the case.

Our investigation revealed facts that eliminate suspicion of foul play, or criminal activity.

We understand this incident has deeply affected our community and we empathize with the passion everyone has shown towards the effort to locate Mr. Stivers. Out of respect for the Stivers family and the privacy of John Stivers, no further information will be released.

John Stivers will remain in the missing persons database at the request of the Stivers family.

Our sincerest gratitude to the family and friends of John Stivers for your patience through the course of this investigation.

Message from Harry Oakes K9 SAR coordinator.

This is why when people contact me regarding a missing person, I strongly suggest before a search is launched to establish whether this is a willful disappearance, suicide, kidnapping, or a lost person due to terrain, physical issues, mental health issues.

By going through their cell phone records, financial records, home/business computer chats, texts, calls and emails the SAR Coordinator/ sheriff's office / investigator can review the files for the last 30 days and see if there is a pattern, or foul play.

We can also determine if someone else is using the person's bank account atm cards, etc. (security cameras and transaction locations).

Then ping his/her cell phone and determine area last used. Also calls in/out and texts in / out. This shows us a lot of information regarding patterns.

If it looks normal, then through interviews with friends, family, co workers, witnesses you can establish what is really going on here.

When a person leaves his/her family on purpose you must try to determine if they are just getting away for a while to sort stuff out, going out to harm themselves or others, or are they suffering from medical issues that need to be addressed right away.

Once this is done, then bring in a forensic scent evidence dog team to determine if foul play has occurred at the pls. (place last seen).

If no foul play and once the vehicle has been found, then it's forensic time.

Did the person jump to his/her death, over dose on meds, shoot themselves, hang themselves, drown themselves?

Did they get into another vehicle and start a life with someone else?

All these questions must be answered.

www.k9sardog.com