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Cops suspend search for missing man in Annadel

By Thursday at dusk, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office officially suspended the search for a Sacramento man who disappeared into Annadel State Park last Saturday. The man was described by family members as “despondent” and as having a history of mental illness, although he is not thought to be dangerous.

With approval from his family, law enforcement officials have identified the man as Jason Kyles, 34. He is described as 6 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, with sandy brown hair.

“We do believe he’s still unclothed,” said Sonoma Police Chief Bret Sackett, who explained that the clothing Kyles was last seen wearing was found on Monday near where he entered Annadel State Park.

That discovery further supported a sighting by a teen bicyclist, who said he saw a man matching Kyles description nude and chanting in the park on Saturday.

After more than 100 people volunteered for a search of the park on Sunday, a steady crew of search-and-rescue experts and tracking dogs continued to comb Annadel every day this week. On Tuesday, while searching far off the trails, they discovered hand and bare footprints that could belong to the missing man.

“The sightings of where these footprints and handprints were was a fair distance from where he was last seen, if they are in fact his handprints,” Sackett said. “He’s moving, he’s mobile.”

As the footprints were found near where Annadel borders Oakmont, Kyles’ family spent Wednesday passing out fliers in the retirement community in case he left the park.

Late Wednesday evening, searchers found more footprints and tracking dogs alerted to Kyles’ scent, which sparked another search Thursday.

“We completed our sixth day of searching with no results,” Sackett said on Thursday evening. “It did not produce any leads whatsoever, so we’ve suspended our search at this point.”

Sackett said there is concern for Kyles’ physical well-being as nighttime temperatures have dropped to the high 30s this week; but the hand and footprints were estimated to be no more than 48 hours old, giving hope that he’s found a way to stave off the cold. Search dogs also detected his scent in and around a bathroom in the park, where he could have found warmth from the elements.

Sackett said there is no official set time law enforcement dedicate to searching for a missing adult; it is determined on a case-by-case, day-by-day basis. “It’s one of those things we weigh everyday, based on what we find,” he said.

Anyone with information about the possible location or who might have seen someone matching the description is encouraged to contact the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office at 565-2650.