A search of area waterways overnight left the US Coast Guard empty handed.
The CKXS newsroom received several calls, emails, and Facebook messages about a helicopter flying over Wallaceburg late last night.
Lauren Steenson, Public Affairs Specialist with the US Coast Guard says it all started with a mayday call.
“Last night, Coast Guard Sector Detroit received a transmission over VHS channel 16 radio of a male voice stating ‘mayday’ very soon after someone with a similar voice had requested two radio checks. So anytime there is a mayday call, we launch Search & Rescue crews to search the area. The US Coast Guard often partners with the Canadian Coast Guard for these searches,” explains Steenson.
Steenson says “Coast Guard Sector Detroit then issued an Urgent Marine Information broadcast and launched Station St. Clair Shores Search & Rescue Boat Crew, and requested support from Air Station Detroit with an MH-65 helicopter. The helicopter crew established broken communications with a male on channel 16 that sounded similar to the mayday transmission.”
She says the operator stated they should have asked for a radio check on channel 9 and the man said he didn’t have cell service and then gave the street address in Canada that he was close to. But Steenson says the man didn’t confirm whether he had said ‘mayday’ or if he was in distress.
She says the search continued, despite local police not reporting any missing persons.
Both the boat and helicopter crews completed their searches, and Steenson said neither found any signs of distress of overdue persons.