WHERE IS CHANCE? 

Disturbing discovery in hunt for missing teen Chance Lauer after he was last seen outside his home a week ago

OFFICIALS have shared a disturbing discovery as their desperate search for missing teen Chance Lauer continues amid plunging temperatures.

University of Maine campus trails remain closed after the sudden disappearance of Lauer, 19, a week ago – ahead of Winter Storm Fern.
Orono Police in Maine have issued this photo of Chance Lauer, who has now been missing for one weekCredit: Orono police
 
Officials, search and rescue dogs, volunteers and wardens have been searching for the teen who disappeared ahead of Winter Storm Fern (stock photo)Credit: Alamy
Volunteers at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife reported at the weekend that the search has so far failed to find the man.

And the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) issued an emergency notification on Saturday.

Lauer “does not have a vehicle, his cell phone is currently turned off, and “his wallet was recovered in his room,” the worrying notice said.

“UMPD is assisting the Orono Police Department in an active search for a missing person last seen in the Orono area near the University of Maine campus,” it added.

The teen was last seen on Monday, January 19, in the Orono area.

The uni said that students and residents living nearby might notice police and rescue volunteers “on and around campus during search efforts.”

“As part of the ongoing search, walking trails on and near campus will be
temporarily closed,” it added.

“Community members are asked to stay clear of active search areas and to
follow all posted signage and instructions from law enforcement.”

Search and rescue dogs are assisting their efforts.

Search continues for missing teen Chance Lauer

Maine Warden Service has issued this update:

The Maine Warden Service, along with trained searchers from the Maine Association of Search and Rescue (MASAR), have been searching for the missing man in Orono.

Chance Lauer, 19, was last seen on Monday, January 19 at the Orchard Trail Apartments in Orono where he lives.

Lauer is 5’8” tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds.

He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with any information regarding Chance Lauer is encouraged to call the Maine State Police dispatch at 207-973-3700.

Game wardens have been conducting ground searches in the Orono area at 8:00 am with members of the MWS, MASAR and ten K9 units from the MWS and Maine Search and Rescue Dogs (MESARD).

Due to the extreme weather conditions, the MWS is not asking for any volunteers at this time.

If anyone has any information regarding Chance Lauer, please contact Maine State Police Dispatch at 207-973-3700.

However there have been concerns about the impact of the extreme winter weather currently sweeping the U.S.

Heavy snowfall has been battering the region.

During the weekend, Winter Storm Fern dumped sleet, freezing rain and snow across much of the eastern half of the U.S., stopping air and road traffic and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the Southeast.

“Due to the extreme weather conditions expected tomorrow, the Maine Warden Service is not asking for any volunteers at this time,” officials said on Saturday.

It comes as a private jet carrying eight people crashed at a busy airport in Maine.

Pilots and air traffic controllers were heard discussing low visibility moments before take-off on Sunday night, reported CNN.

And the death toll has risen from 12 to 14 as of today.

Among those killed was missing Michigan student Lucas Mattson, 19, who was found dead after being seen “walking alone without a coat” during the storm.