No further search teams to be sent to Alaska for Steve Keel

DOVER, Tenn. (WSMV) - Group officials for the search for missing Dover man Steve Keel announced Saturday that they have decided not to send another team to Deadhorse, Alaska, for a ground search.

As weather conditions have worsened and the search area continues to expand, group leaders said they don’t think it would make sense to risk anyone’s life searching for Steve. Chris Dowdy, the man leading the search effort, said they are working to fund helicopters for more aerial searching in a broader area.

On August 24th, Steve Keel of Dover, TN, went on a hunting trip with a friend. On August 28th, Steve disappeared after walking away from his campsite in Deadhorse, Alaska. Since his disappearance, four men from Dover went to Deadhorse to look for Steve. When the team arrived to search for Steve, they effectively covered over 150 square miles of land looking for Steve.

Dowdy said on Facebook that he and Steve’s family had contacted Recco to determine if the Recco device could pick up Steve’s phone. Recco was given a phone model, and Dowdy added that they are working on getting the information from the chips on his debit and credit cards. This information will allow them to test their equipment against a test phone, cards, etc.

Dowdy added that one person had been searching the area on foot over the past week. “Although we appreciate his efforts, we feel this is too great of a risk because he is searching alone. We also have minimal contact with him. Information is not shared in real-time and often not at all,” Dowdy said on Facebook.

Dowdy asked that if someone volunteers to look for Steve, they contact him first to know their whereabouts.

To raise money for an aerial search, T-shirts have been made and are available for $20. To get a shirt and support the effort to find Steve, contact Erica Dowdy.

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