WASHINGTON COUNTY -- New York State Forest Rangers launched an airboat into the Battenkill from a remote part of Washington County to check out areas of the river that haven't been thoroughly searched yet for Jaliek Rainwalker. The young man has been missing for more than six months.
"We're going to try and get into some of those areas that, up to a couple of days ago, were underwater and see if there's anything relevant to the search for Jaliek," New York State Forest Ranger Lieutenant John Solan said.
Solan said this boat can do things that others can't.
"They can go into shallow water and weeds and the backwater where conventional boats can't go," he said.
The Forest Rangers said this was a good use of their time because they had to be out there anyway, and while they train, they can also look for Jaliek.
"We have to train, and we talked to Chief Bell, and with the search for Jaliek on-going, we thought this would be a good place." said Solan.
More than six months after his disappearance, the search effort for Jaliek Rainwalker continues. Forest Rangers are again using their training time to look for the missing boy. Our Jessica Mokhiber has been following the story and has more on what they're doing now.
As for Greenwich Police George Chief Bell, he went along for the ride because there's a part of the Battenkill that he wanted to check out in particular.
"It's a place we've been referring to throughout the investigation as the Hell Hole. It's a part of the river we haven't been able to get into and get a good look at," said Bell.
That location has been difficult for people to get into in the past several months. But it's just one more place authorities want to eliminate as a possible place where Jaliek may be.
"It's a bad area, and early on Mr. Kerr mentioned that he and Jaliek had been there and it was an area he was concerned about," said Bell.
But after searching there, nothing new to report. The Forest Rangers are also doing similar training with their airboats on the Hudson River as part of their education, and their search.