Police request search for missing man
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April 28, 2001 |
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By Gene Baune
15 members from RMRU assisted in the search for an Idyllwild man who had beenmissing under suspicious circumstances for nearly a month.
Phillip Benjamin Ackley, 52, of the Fern Valley area of Idyllwild, had last been seen at home by his wife on March 30. When he didn't return home the next day, she reported him and his 1978 Chevy van missing. Sheriff's deputies found the van parked on a nearby street on April 2. Sheriff's deputies, volunteers from the California Rescue Dog Association, and Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit searched the Marion Mountain area on Saturday, 28 April. Scent dogs helped searchers zero in on the area but the body was not located and exhumed until Sunday by sheriff's forensic teams due to the late hour and remote location.
RMRU had previously searched for Ben Ackley on 5 April but was unable to locate the grave site due to recent snowfall.