CONTACT:
Sgt. Jeremy Hawkes
Sgt. Geoffrey Pushee
603-271-3361
July 18, 2022

Walpole, NH – On Saturday, July 16, 2022 at approximately 4:45 p.m., the NH Fish and Game Department was notified of a missing hiker in the town of Walpole. The man was identified as Deane Ellsworth, age 80, of Bellows Falls VT. Ellsworth had been hiking nearby trails off Reservoir Road with his wife. When they returned to their vehicle, Ellsworth walked away in an unknown direction while his wife was distracted. She immediately went to a nearby residence to call 9-1-1 for assistance when she was unable to find him.

Conservation Officers, along with New England K-9 Search and Rescue Team, Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team, Walpole Police Department, and Walpole Fire Department assisted in the search for Ellsworth throughout the night until the early morning hours.

Searchers continued looking for Ellsworth on July 17 and were joined by NH State Police and a NH State Police helicopter. At approximately 2:00 p.m., a member of the New England K-9 Search and Rescue Team located Ellsworth in a wooded area between Reservoir Road and Old Drewsville Road approximately 0.5 miles away from the point where he was last seen. Ellsworth was then transported to Cheshire Medical Center in Keene for evaluation.

New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officers would like to remind everyone to hike within their limitations and to visit hikesafe.com for hiking safety tips.