Searches continue for missing tourist

Dozens of residents are searching the island today for the Canadian tourist William Grange, who has been missing for more than a week.

Police coordinated searches for the 67-year-old retired lawyer and grandfather of four in the west, east and central areas of the island. He went for a walk Friday May 2 near Cambridge Beaches Resort and has not been seen since.

Instructions given to the volunteer searchers this morning at the Hamilton Police Station were clear: talk to people, ask if they’ve seen him, show them the missing person flyer, if you think you see him, speak to him, if you see a body, don’t touch it.  If there’s any new information, report it immediately.

“We were going to go for a walk, and we figured we might as well give something back,” said Sue Chlebek, a teacher from Smith’s, who volunteered with her fellow teacher and friend, Allison Hillen.

“It’s horrible to think what the family is going through,” said Ms Hillen. “We’re parents, we get it. And we’d like to think someone would do this for us.”

They were tasked with searching the tony Point Shares neighborhood. The duo walked around for more than an hour. Residents were asked about Mr. Grange. No, they hadn’t seen him. Gardens were perused. Shorelines were investigated.  Dense foliage was inspected.

There were BMW Z3s, ornate cedar fencing, even more ornate iron wrought gates, cedar doors, huge, expensive homes with no trespassing signs attached to walls surrounding their properties, surveillance cameras affixed to their front gates and statues of birds in the yard. There was no Mr. Grange.

“At least we get see how the other half lives,” said Ms. Chlebek.

At one point, Ms Hillen broached the morbid possibility that hung over the search.

“I can’t imagine he’d be alive,” she said. “I mean, I hope he is. I hope we find him. But it’s been a while.”

And what were the chances of him being on the island, alone for the last eight days without running into someone who recognized his image from the news?

 “You can only go so many days without food or water,” said Ms. Chlebek,

In addition to the volunteer searchers, a group of volunteer divers have offered to search the Cambridge Beaches area this weekend, according to police.

Volunteers will also search Pittman’s Pond and Long Bay Pond by punt, as diving those ponds is not feasible, according to police.