No sign of missing Tucson hiker after weekend search

GREER, AZ – Rescuers made an unsuccessful final push this weekend to find a missing Tucson hiker in the White Mountains.

The Southern Arizona Rescue Association and the Pinal County Search and Rescue Posse were among dozens of rescuers and volunteers looking for 60-year-old Frank Carl Patane.

Patane disappeared Aug. 11 after hiking alone at Mount Baldy, the highest point in the White Mountains.

Searchers used dog teams, mounted horse patrols and all-terrain vehicles in attempts to find the retired Raytheon employee.

Family members described him as an avid day hiker who was inexperienced as a camper. He had surgery for a detached left retina a month ago.

The Apache County Sheriff's Department told family members the search for the 5-foot-7-inch, 150-pound Patane will continue but not with the same intensity and resources as the last 17 days.

Rescuers say they have found no sign of Patane except his truck and his sign-in at the entrance to the Mount Baldy trail head.