Local man works for the lost and missing

PHILADELPHIA - May 14, 2015 - PRLog -- http://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2015/05/12/mt-airy-man-races-against-time-to-save-missing-and-lost-persons/

Mt. Airy resident Mark G. Hopkins, chief of Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue (GPSAR) has helped with the investigation of thousands of missing person cases, including that of Shane Montgomery, the 21-year-old West Chester University student whose body was found Jan. 3 in the Schuylkill River.

The Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue, a nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 1979, responds to search requests for missing persons in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

GPSAR volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, engaging in rescue operations in the wilderness or urban areas. Their mission, Hopkins said, is simple: to respond so “that others may live.”

“I have been trying to take advantage of this recent wave of media coverage to educate people about the organization and what to do if someone you love goes missing,” Hopkins said. “If you are in public safety, your job should be to put yourself out of work. It may never happen, but you can narrow the gap.”

According to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), as of December 31, 2014, there were 84,924 active missing person records. At least 60 percent of those cases were adults.