Darrel Dullum, East Helena, MT

Noway · Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:54 pm Post subject:

Officials continue search for Dullum; no trace found

By JOHN HARRINGTON Independent Record | Posted: Sunday, January 10, 2010 12:25 am | (0) Comments
http://www.helenair.com/news/article_f549a126-fd9d-11de-9197-001cc4c002e0.html

The search for Darrell Eugene Dullum returned to the water Saturday, and Lewis and Clark Search & Rescue members augered holes in frozen Prickly Pear Creek in an effort to find the East Helena man, who has been missing since early December.

A dozen members of Search & Rescue focused their efforts on a quarter-mile stretch of the creek, less than a mile north — downstream — from downtown East Helena. Dullum has not been seen since leaving the Eagles there early in the morning on Dec. 4.

The searchers were joined in their efforts later in the day on Saturday by a quartet of German sheperds.

Searchers returned to the creek Saturday after a search dog found a scent near a headgate and irrigation ditch along the waterway a week ago.

“In the area prior to the headgate one of the dogs basically ‘hit,’” said Undersheriff Dave Rau of the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “This an area of interest. Not a high probability, we’re not saying that, just an area of interest.”

For a couple hours Saturday morning, Search & Rescue personnel augered holes in the thick ice of the creek, drilling through two or more feet of ice to reach water, then moving on to the next hole. The holes were spaced roughly every 5 to 7 feet for a few hundred yards.

Once the holes were drilled, everyone left the area for an hour or two.

“That’s so the exhaust (from the gasoline powered augers) and human scents can dissipate and the dogs can better concentrate on the older stuff,” said Uriah Wood, the Sheriff’s Department’s Search & Rescue liaison. “Any scent will be allowed to come up through the holes in the ice.”

After the air was cleared, four dogs — two from Helena-based True North Search Dogs and two from Jackson Hole (Wyo.) Independent Search Dogs, were brought in to sniff the holes and the water that had surfaced from them.

As of mid-afternoon, no significant breakthroughs had been made in locating the missing 30-year-old man, Rau said.

“The dogs are more interested in the (upstream) area of the creek that was opened up,” he said.

Reporter John Harrington: 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.

Photo of dogs
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/6/24/1d0/6241d01c-fd87-11de-9524-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263086882

Photo of S&R personnel drilling
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/3/8e/c71/38ec71a4-fd87-11de-81dd-001cc4c03286.image.jpg?_dc=1263086814

Noway

http://www.helenair.com/news/local/article_f77c539e-1396-11df-8e73-001cc4c002e0.html

Police 90 percent sure Dullum found in Prickly Pear Creek
By EVE BYRON Independent Record | Posted: Sunday, February 7, 2010 12:15 am | (5) Comments

Font Size:Default font sizeLarger font sizeA body thought to be that of Darrel Dullum, missing since he left an East Helena bar in the early morning hours of Dec. 5, was found in Prickly Pear Creek Saturday near East Pacific Street.

A cell phone and wallet found on the body were Dullum's and the body was clad in the clothes he was last seen wearing, making Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton about 90 percent sure that the body found about 5:30 p.m. Saturday was the missing 30-year-old. However, Dutton said an autopsy will be performed to confirm the identification, as well as the cause of death.

The body was found by Nathan Graber, and was only about 20 feet away from where Dullum's hat was found in the 100 block of East Pacific a week after he went missing.

"I'd been watching the ice slowly melt every day, especially in places where it jams up against trees and rocks," Graber said Saturday night. "Tonight, I was shoveling the back of my truck, looked over and saw what looked like a boot. I grabbed the binoculars, even though it was only 20 feet away, because it was getting dark. I waded out into the creek to get a better look, then called 911."

The body was on a sand bar in an area that had been covered with thick ice and deep snow. East Helena Police Chief Dale Aschim said they had previously searched the area, including using dogs and divers, and that the dogs had shown interest at that spot.

"But you go and look at that ice and how thick it is, it was unbelievable," Aschim said. "There were six to eight inches, and on the sides of the creek it was definitely over a foot thick. A couple of weeks ago we had divers in that area, but with the ice it was very difficult to search."

Just how and when the body came to rest in the creek remains a mystery. Dullum was last seen at the Eagles bar in East Helena about 2 a.m. Dec. 5, and allegedly was intoxicated to the point that the bartender took away the keys to his vehicle. He left the bar on foot, but no one saw him afterward.

The body was found south of the bar, while Dullum's home was to the north, which puzzles Dutton and Aschim. They're not sure if Dullum, a native of East Helena, was disoriented or going someplace other than home. They also aren't sure how he would have landed in the creek, and whether he might have fallen in where he was found or somewhere upstream. The night he went missing was cold - the temperature was about 14 degrees - and it's snowed often since then, which may have covered up his tracks.

Dutton said they don't suspect foul play, but hope to have more questions answered, including the cause of death, after the autopsy.

"We will continue our investigation to rule out any signs of foul play," Dutton said. "Nothing points to that at this time. The only thing we know for sure is from the video showing that he left the bar."

As news of the discovery swept through the town, family members gathered at the East Helena fire hall to console one another. Dave Mason, Dullum's uncle, said they appreciate all of the effort made by the community to find Dullum.

"We are gratified for all the work the sheriff's department - particularly Leo - and the search and rescue and East Helena police and everybody else, like the dog handlers, put into this," Mason said. "They never gave up.

"Of course we're saddened by the outcome, but it's better this way than to have it go on forever. We'd rather have it be something like this than suspect foul play."

Dutton and Aschim said they also appreciate the community's help to try to find Dullum.

"I want to thank people for their patience and their help," Dutton said. "At least this is a closure and the family can begin the (grieving) process, as difficult as it is. You always maintain the slim hope that a loved one got on a flight or something, but this way they at least know for sure."

Reporter Eve Byron: 447-4076 or eve.byron@helenair.com

Lavanda Dolce · ADMINISTRATOR/SITE CREATOR Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 4236

Oh that is awful. There was always hope and now it's gone. However, the family can properly bury him and memorialize him. I'm so sorry to learn of this:(
_________________
"The most important question to ask about any work is "how does this serve the world?"" ~ by Marianne Williamson

Lavanda Dolce · ADMINISTRATOR/SITE CREATOR Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 4236

_________________
"The most important question to ask about any work is "how does this serve the world?"" ~ by Marianne Williamson

Noway · Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:30 am Post subject:

http://www.helenair.com/news/local/article_6d0be9f6-160a-11df-8fd6-001cc4c002e0.html

Coroner: No foul play in Dullum death
StoryDiscussionVideoImage (3)By ANGELA BRANDT Independent Record | Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 12:00 am | (0) Comments

Eliza Wiley Independent Record

Authorities say there was no foul play in the death of Darrel Dullum, whose body was found in Prickly Pear Creek on Saturday after being missing for two months.

Lewis and Clark County Coroner Mickey Nelson said Tuesday that an autopsy confirmed that drowning was the cause of Dullum’s death.

Dullum, 30, went missing after drinking at the Eagles bar in East Helena on Dec. 5.

Nelson said there was no evidence that anyone else was involved in Dullum’s death. The last piece of the investigation will be a toxicology report, which will take six to eight weeks to complete.

Dullum’s body was found encased in ice near Main Street Park off Clark Street in the creek about 20 feet from where his hat was found a few days after he disappeared. Dullum had told people at the bar he intended to walk home to his house on Trerise Road about two miles north of where he was found.

His body, however, was spotted about two blocks southeast of the Eagles Bar on a sand bar, in an area that had been covered with thick ice and deep snow.

“We might never know why Darrel went out and ended up where he did,” Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said.

Dutton said there was little to no visibility through the ice. Dullum’s clothing had soaked up five gallons of water, weighing about 40 pounds, he said.

According to East Helena Police Chief Dale Aschim, crews had previously searched the area, including searches using dogs and divers. The dogs had shown interest at the spot where Dullum was found, he said.

“It’s been a very, very big case for such a small town and Darrel is one of our own,” Aschim said.

Search efforts included a helicopter and dog teams, among other resources. A total tally on the costs of the search has not yet been calculated, Dutton said.

Family and other community members also searched on a daily basis for the past two months.

Dullum’s twin brother, Dwane, thanked the community, law enforcement and media for their efforts to locate his brother, who is the father of two young boys.

“It was a mystery. Unfortunately we didn’t come out with the outcome we’d like,” he said.

Dullum’s family offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his recovery. The reward will be offered to Nathan Graber, who found the body, Dwane Dullum said. Graber might also be eligible for a $1,000 reward through Crimestoppers.

Dullum’s loved ones are planning memorial services, which will take place sometime next week. Dwane Dullum said the family will run an obituary in the Independent Record.

“Now the healing begins,” he said. “We hope the citizens will start to heal as well as us.”

Reporter Angela Brandt: 447-4078 or angela.brandt@helenair.com

Noway · Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:33 pm Post subject:

http://www.helenair.com/news/opinion/article_f4d34390-16d0-11df-89cb-001cc4c002e0.html

Dullum found, but questions remain
StoryDiscussion
By JERRY DULLUM | Guest Editorial | Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010 12:05 am | (0) Comments

Wayne Hirst, president of the Libby Downtown Association, has written a piece titled “Yes, it can happen here.” It can happen here, too, and it did.

My son, Darrel Dullum, disappeared from Main Street in downtown East Helena in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. He has finally been found dead, two months later in Prickly Pear Creek in East Helena, after extensive searches by law enforcement, search and rescue and probably 30,000 to 60,000 people in the tri-county area looking, praying and wishing. We thank them all.

Although the coroner has not found physical evidence of foul play, foul play has not been ruled out. There are still some blood tests to be done for alcohol and drugs. The quantity and quality of the blood may not be good enough to determine anything. The state of decomposition of Darrel’s body leaves some room for doubt. The exact cause or contributing factors of death has not been determined. Was drowning criminal or accidental? There is some miscommunication about this and law enforcement is still looking for evidence and identifying and questioning people.

They have proven it is Darrel; he was not shot, stabbed or beaten, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Anyone with information can still call Helena Area Crime Stoppers anonymously at 443-2000; the East Helena Police or the Lewis and Clark County sheriff’s office. There is still a $1,000 reward through Crime Stoppers.

Oh, how I wish there had been cameras along Main Street, whether they belonged to the city or the county or anybody, to tell the rest of the story. Many people have been questioned, accused, wrongly accused and requestioned. There has been a lot of bar gossip, rumors and just plain lies going around. There is the second- and third-party he-said-she-said. The wrong people have been accused or questioned and the people who saw, heard or know something have not yet been found or come forward.

Countless hours of law enforcement time was wasted because there are no cameras. From everything I know, and evidence suggests, my son was not drunk or disoriented enough to walk the opposite way from home, nor do I believe he purposely jumped into waist-deep water and drowned himself.

It is far more likely he was accosted and running away. Scared? Was he drugged? Why was his hat out of the water? Was he confronted there? Was he held underwater or pushed repeatedly in? Were there other wet people around? Was there a gun pointed at him?

There are more possibilities. Because of a lack of cameras, we may never get an answer. There are three bars in a two-block area and a gas station at each end of town. There were a lot of people out on Main Street and still no one saw anything?

It wouldn’t bother me to see the city put in cameras downtown. I don’t see the cameras as an infringement on my freedom, but as security for the community.

Furthermore, I plan on contacting my legislators about a law requiring bars to put in quality outside cameras at all entrances and exits for the protection of patrons and citizens. It also needs to state that someone know how to operate the system, as this was part of the problem in our case. From reports I’ve seen, 20 to 30 percent of businesses with cameras do not know how to operate them. If there had been cameras we probably would have seen what happened to Darrel or at least we might have found him the same day instead of two months later.

How can anyone feel safe on Main Street in downtown East Helena until more questions are answered?

Jerry Dullum, of Helena, is the father of Darrel Dullum, whose body was found Saturday in Prickly Pear Creek two months after he went missing.