Multiple agencies conduct ground search for missing Byron man

Multiple agencies searched more than 100 acres near the Rock River and state Route 2 Friday for a missing Byron man, but turned up no leads, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said.

Brandon Cuddy, 27, went missing the night of Dec. 26. His snow-covered car was found damaged on a steep riverbank 11 days later, in the 9000 block of Route 2 in rural Byron. Two days of searches immediately afterward by law enforcement and the family also came up empty.

“Today we have Illinois-Wisconsin Search and Rescue and the Illinois Search and Rescue Coalition doing a ground search,” said VanVickle, who organized the effort. “We had discussions over a couple months, and they searched a wooded area west of the crash site, about 100 acres.”

About 50 people and 12 dogs conducted the search, which included areas north and south of the crash site.

No other ground searches are planned at the moment, but river searches by the sheriff’s office and Christian Aid Ministries will take place next week, weather permitting, VanVickle said.

Possible rain or high water levels could change that plan, which calls for searchers to begin near the crash site and work south.

When Cuddy’s car was found, officials said they feared he may have ended up in the river.

Low temperatures and the large amount of snow and ice prevented search efforts it recent weeks; Friday was the first day the weather made searching possible, VanVickle said.

“There’s still quite a bit of snow in the woods,” he said. “They were looking through drifts by hand with poles. Searchers were 16 feet apart. It was tedious. It was part of the plan from the beginning.”

Ogle County is part of the Illinois Search and Rescue Coalition, which is made up of different agencies from all over the northern half of Illinois, including McHenry, LaSalle and Kendall counties and the Quad Cities.

Cuddy’s family members have been searching the area on their own when weather allowed since he went missing.

After being critical of law enforcement’s lack of searches during the winter, his brother, Billy, thanked the sheriff’s office on Facebook Friday for searching.

“Brandon Cuddy has been missing for 69 days,” Cuddy’s Facebook post said. “Today, multiple agencies are conducting a search in the area where we found his vehicle. A big thank you to Ogle County Sheriff’s Office for organizing the search.

“If you’re out there, B, we’re going to find you.”