A body discovered Monday by Search and Rescue volunteers might be that of hiker Rick Gentry, a Reno resident who went missing on Nov. 21, 2010.
The two search and rescue volunteers had a day off and were training their cadaver dog when it began to follow a scent. Washoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Armando Avina said the body could not have been discovered by human scent and the dog led them to the location. The volunteers began to look for clues and used shovels to dig it up.
Avina said in a statement that the body was located in rugged, steep terrain and underneath about 2 feet of snow.
The body was found about 3 miles away from the Whites Creek Tralhead parking lot, which is about a three-and-a-half hour hike. Authorities have reason to believe it could be a hiker who went missing in November.
Rick Gentry of Reno was reported missing in the surrounding area on Nov. 21. Gentry was last seen when he left to go hiking in the Galena Park area south of Reno. He called 911 from his cell phone at 5:24 p.m. to report that he was lost, but authorities were unable to trace the call. Search and rescue teams were dispatched to look for him, but were eventually suspended due to unsafe weather conditions.
“Search and rescue has continued even after the Gentry search suspension and these two volunteers decided to go up to that same area with the dog,” Avina said.”This area was recognized in the Gentry search, but because of how rugged and deep the terrain was, and with blizzard conditions and snow drifts, it was too dangerous to search extensively.”
On Tuesday, detectives, investigators and a medical examiner as well as search and rescue teams responded to the scene and began collecting evidence and photographing the area.
After the area was processed, investigators and personnel removed the body from the area and it was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for identification.
“Once the family is notified, the sheriff’s office will be notified and follow the holding pattern,” Avina said. “We do not know the timeline. It could be hours, days or even weeks.”
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