Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group

10/22/2026

Yesterday afternoon AMRG was requested to assist the Pennsylvania State Police and Creekside Volunteer Fire Company in Indiana County to assist in the search for an 81 year old female missing since the previous evening. Numerous fire department, law enforcement, and search teams from multiple counties searched throughout the night and into this morning. Unfortunately, missing person was located deceased this morning by the Creekside VFC.

10/21/2026

At 10:10am this morning AMRG was activated by the Pennsylvania State Police for a high urgency search for a missing 5 year old boy in Lawrence County. Fortunately, the child was located a short time later by PSP patrol units as AMRG was preparing to respond.

A short time later, at 10:53am, AMRG was activated by Pittsburgh Police SVU to assist in an ongoing missing person search. AMRG volunteers and canines conducted an extensive search in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh though out the afternoon.

Emily Laychak remains missing and could be anywhere in the Pittsburgh area. Please remain on the lookout for her and call 911 with any information.

10/20/2026

Please be on the look out for Emily Laychak. She may have last been in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh.

Call 911 if you have seen her in the last day. If you have security cameras in southern Squirrel Hill please check them.

FINAL UPDATE:  Emily has been safely located. Thank you to everyone who shared the information.

UPDATE: Detectives have updated information that may assist them in locating Emily.

It’s believed she spent some time in Squirrel Hill on October 19 and that she is known to frequent the Lawrenceville area.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1.

Original post:

Special Victims Unit detectives are asking for the public’s assistance to locate a missing 42-year-old female who may be in need of medical attention.

Emily Laychak is described as 5'5", 130 lbs, with blondish/brown hair and green eyes.

Emily was last seen on the morning of October 19, 2026 at around 6:30 am as she was leaving the residence of a friend in the East Liberty neighborhood.

There is no description of what she was wearing at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to call 9-1-1.

10/20/2026

We’re excited to share that AMRG has received a grant from Norfolk Southern through its Safety First Grant Program! 🚂

This $12,800 grant puts a DJI Matrice 4TD thermal-imaging search drone into the hands of our volunteer search teams. It can fly in rain and wind, spot a person’s body heat through the dark, light up a scene with its built-in spotlight, and even talk to a missing person through an onboard speaker while our ground teams are still on the way. When someone is missing in the woods, minutes matter, and this aircraft will help us find them faster and keep our searchers safer.

We anticipate that this new drone will be put into service by the end of the year.

Thank you, Norfolk Southern, for helping us create a stronger, safer, and more resilient SAR team for Western Pennsylvania.

10/18/2026

At 3:20 this morning, Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group was activated to help search for a missing 6-year-old girl in Smith Township, Washington County. The child had been missing for 8 hours, and AMRG was asked to respond to the second operational period, relieve local searchers who had worked through the night.

AMRG responded with multiple search dogs, ground searchers, and search management personnel. Shortly after our crews met with the family and entered the home to collect scent articles for our trailing dogs, the child was discovered and is safe and sound.

Thank you to the Smith Township Police Department, Smith Township Volunteer Fire Department, and Burgettstown Volunteer Fire Department for searching throughout the night, and to the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission for supporting our response.

After a quick team breakfast at Eat'n Park, AMRG went back to work on a second mission: an evidence search in the City of Pittsburgh in support of an ongoing Pittsburgh Bureau of Police investigation. This was a technical operation on the steep slopes of Mount Washington, and involved both canines and rope access teams to provide complete coverage of the search area. Thank you to the Pennsylvania State Police and our mutual aid partner, Northwest Pennsylvania K9 Search and Rescue, for assisting.

Thank you to all our volunteers who gave up their night's sleep and their Saturday to serve our community. 🐕‍🦺⛰️

10/11/2026

After a busy week of searches, our K9 teams were back at training yesterday, continuing to build and maintain the skills needed to be ready when the call comes in!

🔎 Air Scent Teams worked in buildings, woods, and fields at the fairgrounds, practicing their search techniques and working through the challenges of locating human scent in an area with a variety of competing odors.

🦴 Human Remains Detection (HRD) Teams also worked in the fairgrounds’ buildings, where the dogs had to practice differentiating human scent from the animal odors present in the environment. This provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen odor discrimination and reinforce the focus needed for successful HRD searches.

🐕 Trailing Teams focused on foundational skills with the younger dogs, building confidence and developing the basics of following a human trail. More experienced dogs worked on turns, refining their ability to stay on track as trails change direction and become more challenging.

Every training session is an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between handler and dog, reinforce important skills, and prepare for the variety of environments our teams may encounter during a real-world search.

Great work by all our handlers and K9s this week! 🐾

10/10/2026

One Day. Two Searches. Two Successful Outcomes.

Thursday, October 8th was a busy one for Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group, and it brought our 38th and 39th search missions of the year.

Search #1: Bedford County, PA (Mission 38)

At approximately 2:00 AM, AMRG was requested to respond to a search for a missing 83-year-old woman near the Maryland state line. She had been missing since 4:00 PM the previous day, and local resources had searched this rural and remote area throughout the night. They needed relief in the morning.

AMRG was asked to assume search management duties, working alongside the Bedford County EMA and Pennsylvania State Police. This was an out-of-region response, roughly 2.25 hours east of Pittsburgh. Numerous search teams from across southern and central Pennsylvania and Maryland assisted, along with Pennsylvania DCNR and both PSP and Maryland State Police Aviation.

AMRG and our mutual aid partner arrived on scene and began the second operational period at 8:00 AM. Shortly after, the subject was found walking along a road about 5.5 miles from her home. She was in good condition and was transported to the hospital for evaluation.

Search #2: Crafton (Mission 39)

As our team made the drive back to Pittsburgh, taking in the fall colors beginning to change in the mountains, we were activated by the Crafton Police Department for a second search. A man had been missing for two days.

AMRG worked alongside our law enforcement partners, including canine units from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. With more than two dozen searchers and multiple canines, we covered a large number of locations prioritized by Crafton Police during this weekday response. The high-visibility, aggressive search resulted in the missing man returning, and he received assistance from Crafton Police and their A-Team partners.

By the numbers: two searches, two successful outcomes, and more than 18 hours of continuous operations across multiple shifts of our volunteers. That brings our year-to-date total to 39 search missions.

Thank you to our members who dropped everything on a weekday, to Bedford County EMA, Pennsylvania State Police, Maryland State Police, PA DCNR, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh Police, Crafton Police, Lincoln Boro VFD 184, and Port Vue VFD drone team 237, Moutain Maryland Search and Rescue, and all of the teams from across Pennsylvania and Maryland who partnered with us. Searches like these succeed because of strong relationships and people willing to answer the call.

10/08/2026

Update: Edward Skeva has been found and is safe! Thank you to everyone who helped by sharing information, sharing the posts, and spreading the word.

10/08/2026

We love being part of a successful search. Great work from our mutual aid partners from across Pennsylvania and Maryland who contributed, including many that drove more than 2 hours through the night to get there for the second operational period.

UPDATE @ 9:15 a.m. - Officials confirmed Nester has been located in the area of Mountain Road - approximately five miles from her residence.

The Allegany County Joint Communications Center spokesperson said an EMS unit has been requested to evaluate her condition.

CLEARVILLE, Pa. - The search for a missing Bedford County woman was suspended overnight and scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. Thursday, fire department officials confirmed.

Ellen Nestor, 83, of 1263 Blues Gap Road, in Southampton Township of Bedford County, was last seen at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

Troopers said Nestor is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia and is known to take frequent walks in the area.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white sweater.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Barracks at 814-623-6133.

Public safety resources from across Allegany County, Maryland and Bedford County assisted on the search including Maryland State Police - Aviation Command, Mountain Maryland Search and Rescue, Allegany County Sheriff's Office, Maryland Technology Team and Pennsylvania State Police were on scene throughout the night.

Fire department units were requested just before 8 p.m. Wednesday to assist, according to an Allegany County Joint Communications Center spokesperson.

This story will be updated.