Constables John Frederickson and Colin Fraser from the Rotorua police Search and Rescue squad have closely examined the area. Photo/File
Constables John Frederickson and Colin Fraser from the Rotorua police Search and Rescue squad have closely examined the area. Photo/File
A Rotorua police team will spend the next four days preparing to re-enter bush alongside Hemo Rd, in the search for missing autistic man Nigel Peterson.
33-year-old Nigel went missing on November 17 last year from Old Taupo Rd.
A district-wide search failed to find him.
Constables John Frederickson and Colin Fraser from the Rotorua police Search and Rescue squad have closely examined the area. Photo/File
On Thursday, 167 daysafter Nigel first went missing, police revealed that the results of an extensive scientific profile pointed to new areas not previously searched.
Compiling the profile involved sifting through hundreds of pages of documents and analysing all search data.
When it was completed at the end of April, it showed that it was possible someone with an impairment such as Nigel's could have wandered into thicker scrub and bush than initially thought.
Missing man Nigel Peterson. Photo/Supplied
Constable John Fredericksen said the original search stopped at a stream in that area as advice at the time said Nigel wouldn't have crossed the stream into bush.
A team of around five police staff will start the search on Friday.
They are organising up to 20 trained LandSAR volunteers to join the search on Saturday and Sunday.
The search would not be weather dependant, Fredericksen said.
"We will be doing it rain, hail or snow. We have got to get it done properly. It would be nice if it was sunny though, yes."
Constable Fredericksen said dogs were used extensively in the initial search, with "a huge allotment of man-hours".
Sergeant Sonia Sherborne in a police team handing out flyers in Hemo Gorge seeking Nigel Peterson. Photo/File
"That was the high probability time... However it is hard to prioritise an area. We have no confirmed sightings or belongings that were dropped and found, so we can only base the search on what we know."
When asked if the search would be easier in autumn Fredericksen said, "I would not imagine so".
"Trees and shrubs may have fewer leaves, but they will be on the ground instead. It will be harder to tell if Nigel has been immobile in an area, say if he sat down under a tree."
