Friends searching for Brookfield graduate and New Milford resident Eric Langlois, 33, who was reported missing Tuesday night, have set up a base camp at Walnut Hill Church in New Milford and are continuing their efforts Thursday evening and into Friday if they have to.
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) officers suspended the search Thursday due to weather conditions, however friends and family members are still organizing into search parties, combing the shoreline of Lake Lillinonah in groups of two and three.
“They told us last night they weren’t going to come out today,” close friend and fellow photographer Nicole Taylor said Thursday.
A group of photographers from the area are organizing the search out of the church, though many were frustrated by the lack of assistance from the DEEP.
“We were told they didn’t have the resources” to aid in the multi-day ground search, Taylor said, though she was disappointed they did not at least send someone to help organize the search.
The group has received generous donations of food, water and coffee to sustain their efforts but what they need is bodies.
Some 50 persons showed up to help Wednesday — most fellow photographers from around the state — and a little more than half that came out Thursday. People who want to help should meet at the Walnut Hill Church at 19 Dorwin Hill Road, New Milford to be part of the organized search. Wear bright clothing and bring a cell phone or two-way radio.
Organizers are also looking for people with shallow-water motorboats that would be willing to help.
Flyers have also begun circulating in an effort to raise awareness about the search [see above]. Find more information on the Facebook page “Help Find Eric Langlois.”
Accoridng to Langlois’ wife, he was riding his mountain bike near Lovers Leap Monday and fell off the trail into the lake, however he was able to swim safely to shore. He went back the next day to attempt to find and retrieve his bike and did not return home.
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