ELKINS, W.Va. — Two men and a boy reported missing since Sunday when they failed to return from a fishing trip to Shavers Fork were found Monday evening in snowy woods, where rescue crews struggled to reach them.
The missing trio—Billy W. Wilkerson II, 41, and Ricky L. Rohrbaugh, 42, both of Fairmont, and an unidentified 12-year-old boy—were located around 5:30 p.m. by state police, firefighter personnel and volunteer ground searchers combing the Cheat Mountain area of Randolph County.
Rescue crews used a snowcat-type vehicle to reach the victims, two of whom were suffering from hypothermia and were transported via LifeFlight to Ruby Memorial Hospital.
They were found about a mile from where their vehicle was spotted on Forest Route 92 seven hours earlier.
Spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous told MetroNews the rescue was made difficult because the missing group were found at the bottom of a steep, snow-covered embankment. State police tried to utilize a vertical helicopter rescue crew from Maryland State Police, but the conditions were too windy.