Volunteers Search 100 Acres to Help Find Missing Man

A software engineer walked through freezing December woods alongside a pediatric trauma doctor, both wearing bright orange vests and carrying GPS units. They weren't getting paid a dime.

They were members of Central Mass Search and Rescue, an all-volunteer team that's been serving New England since 1987. For months, they searched relentlessly for Leonard Mercury, a 57-year-old Westminster man who vanished after escaping from a hospital during a psychiatric hold on Halloween.

Mercury's wife, Nicole La Guerre, refused to let her husband's case fade away. She hired private investigators, organized search parties throughout a bitter New England winter, and launched a Facebook page that kept his face in front of thousands of people. When she connected with Patrick Aubuchon, one of her investigators, he knew exactly who could help.

Central Mass Search and Rescue answered the call. From December through February, their volunteers combed more than 100 acres around Heywood Hospital and Crystal Lake in Gardner. The team included everyone from young EMTs to retirees in their 70s, plus Roo, an Australian Shepherd trained in search work.

"We don't just dabble in search and rescue. This is what we do," said Amanda Cabral, the group's treasurer. Unlike police and firefighters who juggle many responsibilities, these volunteers train monthly and maintain specialized skills that most first responders rarely use.

Their approach was methodical and scientific. They mapped the hospital parking lot where Mercury was last seen, then drew range rings radiating outward. Every segment got searched systematically, with volunteers documenting their paths on mapping apps to ensure complete coverage.

The Ripple Effect

As their boots covered mile after mile of frozen ground, a pattern emerged. The woods were coming up empty, which meant one thing: Mercury was likely in the water. That insight helped guide Gardner police to deploy a drone over Crystal Lake last week.

The drone spotted Mercury's body floating in the lake, just hundreds of yards from where he'd escaped. A Massachusetts State Police dive team recovered him on March 25, finally giving La Guerre the closure she'd fought for through five agonizing months.

The volunteers don't seek glory or payment. They simply show up when families need them most, turning grief into action and uncertainty into answers. Foster emphasized they never try to replace law enforcement but work alongside them, freeing up police and firefighters to handle their other critical duties.

For La Guerre, their help meant everything during the darkest period of her life. While the outcome wasn't what she'd hoped for, the volunteers' dedication ensured her husband wouldn't remain lost forever.

These everyday heroes prove that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they choose to serve their neighbors.