Walter Scheib, 61 Last seen 6/13/15 near Taos, New Mexico

[texasmom]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-white-house-chef-missing-new-mexico-mountains-n379146

JUN 20 2015, 9:13 PM ET

Former White House Chef Missing in New Mexico Mountains
by PHIL HELSEL and REUTERS

Search teams in New Mexico continued on Saturday to look for a missing former White House chef who was last seen setting off for a solo hike in the mountains near Taos last weekend.

Walter Scheib, 61, went hiking in the area on Saturday and never returned home, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said. He was reported missing the next day.

Scheib set off on the Yerba Canyon Trail, which reaches altitudes above 12,000 feet, Taos Search and Rescue said. Scheib's vehicle was found at the Yerba Canyon Trailhead on Tuesday, the department of public safety said.

The search has included ground teams and aircraft, state police said. The air search was expanded Friday but the mountainous terrain and dense vegetation has made the air effort difficult, the department said.

 



Image: Walter Scheib
Outgoing White House Chef Walter Scheib, center, greets chefs from around the world at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. in this July 27, 2004 file photo. AP

[texasmom]

http://www.koat.com/news/former-white-house-chef-still-missing-after-hike-in-taos/33686392

Former White House chef still missing after hike in Taos
Walter Scheib prepared daily meals from 1994 to 2005

UPDATED 11:50 PM MDT Jun 19, 2015

TAOS, N.M. —A week has passed since Walter Scheib, a former chef at the White House, was last seen.

Scheib went for a hike in northern New Mexico last week, according to state police, but his girlfriend reported him missing on Tuesday.

Scheib's car was found near the Yerba-Canyon trailhead in Taos.

Scheib served both the Clinton and the Bush families during his time as head chef at the White House.

 

State police said they are bolstering the number of search crews beginning Saturday morning, when the National Guard arrives.

Despite temperatures dropping to the low 30s overnight, Officer Robert Rodgers said he's not giving up hope Scheib is alive.

"I've seen people survive in much worse conditions. I don't give up hope. I search for a live person," he said.

[texasmom]

http://www.taosnews.com/news/article_5ca8e3be-1543-11e5-ba43-13243fd9043c.html

Search for missing hiker spans rugged peaks above Taos Ski Valley
Andrew Oxford  Jun 18, 2015

Rescuers hit the trail around Lobo Peak Wednesday (June 17) in search of a 61-year-old hiker missing since Saturday (June 13).

Walter Scheib, who served as White House chef from 1994 to 2005 under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, was first reported missing to local law enforcement Sunday (June 14), New Mexico State Police Lt. Edwardo Martinez said.

A Taos Ski Valley Dept. of Public Safety officer found the man’s vehicle Tuesday evening (June 16) at the head of Yerba Canyon trail off State Road 150, west of the village.

 

Climbing 3,700 feet across four miles up a narrow and thickly wooded canyon, search and rescue coordinator Brian Williams described the trail as rugged.

“There are a lot of places to lose the trail,” he said, noting higher elevations are also likely to be covered in snow.

Friends said it is unlikely Scheib planned on camping or had prepared for more than a day hike.

Friends said Scheib moved to Taos from Florida within the last few months.

Scheib is described as being 6’1” tall and weighing approximately 190 lbs. with dark hair. He is known to wear glasses. A friend said he may have been wearing a blue jacket during his hike.

Anyone with information about Scheib’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the New Mexico State Police by calling (575) 758-8878.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/searchers-trace-ex-white-house-chef-phone-n-m-peak-article-1.2265303

Searchers trace missing former White House chef’s cell phone to remote New Mexico peak 
BY NICOLE HENSLEY    NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, June 20, 2015, 4:35 PM

Walter Scheib’s cell phone made contact with a cellular tower high into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains the day he disappeared, local reports said.

The former White House executive chef vanished without a trace June 13 while embarking on a up hill hike in a New Mexico mountain range. He never told anyone of his plans, but the data ping obtained Thursday gives searchers an idea of the path he took.

 

It’s believed Scheib ascended Lobo Peak at some point that afternoon, but it’s not clear what happened as he descended, the Taos News reported. Thunderstorms tore through the area with heavy lightning and hail.

It’s unlikely that Scheib had been prepared to stay several days in the wilderness near the Colorado border.

A cell phone signal can be obtained near the top of the mountain which is more than 12,000 feet above sea level as the trees clear.

An on-foot and horseback search party has been looking for Scheib ever since he was reported missing after failing to meet up with his girlfriend on Monday. His car was found Tuesday night at the Yerba Canyon trailhead near the Taos Ski Valley Resort.

[texasmom]

http://www.cbs12.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/30463df4-www.cbs12.com.shtml

Searchers find body of missing ex-White House chef
June 22, 2015 09:38 GMT

TAOS, N.M. (AP) -- Authorities say searchers have found the body of a former White House chef who had been missing for more than a week after going hiking in the New Mexico mountains.

The New Mexico State Patrol says the body of 61-year-old Walter Scheib was found Sunday night near a hiking trail in mountains in the Taos area.

The police statement did not provide a cause of death or any other details about the discovery of the body.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/former-white-house-chef-s-body-found-in-river-off/article_7b91fdb7-3fa8-5f05-a76d-0f009884f29b.html

Former White House chef’s body found in river off trail

Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:50 pm | Updated: 1:42 am, Mon Jun 22, 2015.
By Andrew Oxford
The Taos News |

TAOS — A renowned chef who went missing June 13 while hiking in the mountains above Taos Ski Valley was found dead Sunday.
A search team located Walter Scheib, 61, approximately 1.7 miles from the trailhead where his car was found Tuesday evening, according to New Mexico State Police.

Scheib was found in a river between 20 feet and 30 feet below the trail, authorities said.

The discovery came on the fifth day of a search-and-rescue effort to find Scheib.

The former White House executive chef was last seen June 13, when he is believed to have embarked on a hike near Taos Ski Valley.

Authorities were unaware if Scheib had informed anyone of his plans, and it is not believed he was prepared for more than a day outdoors.

 

Data from Scheib’s cellphone was obtained by search coordinators Thursday evening and indicated he was last connected to a cellular signal while in the Lobo Peak area at about 3 p.m. June 13.

Search coordinators said the data suggested Scheib ascended Yerba Canyon Trail and at least got close to the summit, which rises 12,115 feet above sea level, but probably encountered trouble during his descent.

Storms pounded the Sangre de Cristo Mountains around that time Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The rain, hail and lightning reported in the area likely made for treacherous conditions on a trail that can be challenging in the best of times.

The search Sunday included between 20 and 30 volunteers. One search-and-rescue volunteer was injured, though not seriously, while riding on horseback along San Cristobal Trail, according to authorities.

A group from the New Mexico National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, New Mexico State Police and search-and-rescue were ferried near the top by a helicopter and descended Yerba Canyon Trail on foot, authorities said.

It was on their way down that they reportedly found Scheib. His body was evacuated Sunday evening.

 

[Sister]