Conservation officers say a search for a Massachusetts man missing for more than a week has been suspended after the man’s car was found parked Saturday outside a visitor center near Mount Washington reports Union Leader.
Officials say the man, identified as Porith Stephon Sou, 21, of Dracut, Mass., has been listed as missing since Sunday, March 10, but information on his whereabouts remained unknown until his vehicle was located parked at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in Pinkham’s Grant on Saturday, March 16. Conservation officers received information that Sou might have been seen hiking in the Cutler River drainage on Friday, March 8, and most recently on the Mount Washington Auto Road on Saturday, March 9.
A search for Sou was conducted by a team comprising of Fish & Game conservation officers, U.S. Forest Service Snow Rangers, Mountain Rescue Services and Androscoggin Valley Search & Rescue personnel. The Mount Washington Observatory and Mount Washington Auto Road provided logistical support to get the searchers up above the tree line. Search crews combed the trails and woodlands in these general areas searching for any signs of Sou.
Conservation officers said a report of a person matching Sou’s description hiking on the Mount Washington Auto Road was the most promising lead, but a search of the area failed to turn up any clues. Because of the large size of the area, deep snow, and the lack of specific information as to where Sou might have gone, the search has been suspended pending any additional information.
