This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The search for an Army specialist who went missing last year will recommence Friday in the rugged mountains of Tooele County, but this time it will be privately led.
Local law enforcement had suspended the search for 26-year-old Spc. Joseph Michael Bushling — missing from Dugway Proving Grounds since May 8, 2011 — despite the discovery of a borrowed Mitsubishi Lancer and an Arkansas Razorbacks baseball cap. Searchers spotted the hat about six miles west of Bushling's car, found 64 miles southwest of the Army base's main gates.
The Jon Francis Foundation, whose mission is to improve the public response to missing adults and reduce incidents through wilderness safety education — organized the search and raised money over the past few months. They also researched and came up with a plan to search where police hadn't.
"Many family believe once law enforcement stops the search that that is the end of it," said David Francis, president and co-founder of the Foundation. "It is possible to have a private search."
Francis calls what the Bushlings are dealing with an "unresolved loss."
"One of our missions is to help families who have lost a loved one in the wilderness," he said.
In addition to several Search and Rescue professionals, the search will include at least 13 search dogs, 50 horses (some trained to detect the scent of human remains) and about 80 volunteers, Francis said.
They plan to scour the desert for three days beginning Friday.
The search will take place on the southwest side of the Dugway Mountain range, in an area south of where the car was found. Police last searched the area north of the car.
Bushling's father, Kevin Bushling, said Wednesday that he and his wife will never give up looking for their son.
"If it takes us selling our house in Arkansas and moving to Utah we are going to do it," he told The Tribune. "That is all we are looking for is some closure."
The Foundation was created after a Minnesota youth minister and counselor went missing in 2006. His remains were found a year later as a result of a family-funded private search.
The Foundation "decided to help because ... we were up against a wall," Kevin Bushling said.
Those who want to contribute financially to the search may visit jonfrancis.org and use Paypal to make a contribution for the Joseph Bushling Search Fund.
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