Bloodhounds join the search for man
LEADER - The South Dakota man who volunteered his bloodhound search dog to find Erika Dalquist and Dru Sjodin is back in Minnesota to help the family of Peter Achermann.
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Denny Adams, owner of Dakota Territory Search Dogs in Conde, S.D., arrived in rural Leader about two weeks ago with bloodhounds Molly and Dru, named in honor of Dru Sjodin. He doesn't plan on leaving until Peter Achermann is found.
"I'm committed to the Achermann family," Adams said while taking a break Tuesday along the minimum maintenance road where Peter Achermann's station wagon was found the day after he went missing more than a month ago. "We're going to stick it out."
Achermann, 82, of rural Leader has been missing since July 24. He was last seen in Staples. Since that time, his family, with the help of the Cass County Sheriff's Department, the Minnesota National Guard, the DNR, the State Patrol, local emergency personnel and hundreds of volunteers have searched every swamp, field and wooded area to find Achermann.
Even when taking a break from searching for Peter Achermann, bloodhounds Molly and Dru had their noses to the ground Tuesday to track for a scent. The bloodhounds are owned by Denny Adams, who also helped in the search for Dru Sjodin and Erika Dalquist. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.
The massive efforts have yielded no clues as to the whereabouts of Peter Achermann. With no new ideas on where to search, his family got in touch with Dru Sjodin's mother, Linda Walker, for advice. Walker suggested they contact Adams for help.
Adams brings a fresh start to the search, said Franz Achermann, Peter Achermann's son.
"Without Denny we wouldn't know which way to go right now," said Franz Achermann, who's been searching for his dad every day since he's been missing. "He's very committed to helping us and that means a lot, too. But the search is never going to end. We'll have to adjust to how things are done at home, but it's far from over until we get some answers."
Cass County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Tom Burch said his department also is thankful for Adams' help.
"It's nice to have somebody come from so far away to assist," Burch said. "The bloodhounds cover a lot more ground than we can and obviously they have a lot keener sense to find things. They can get to where we can't.
Peter Achermann
Burch said there's been no new information received by law enforcement that explains what happened to Peter Achermann. That doesn't mean the sheriff's department is giving up.
"As the search goes on you need to change directions," Burch said. "We're certainly going to continue to search. It will remain active."
Adams' approach has been to start from the beginning, where Peter Achermann's car was found, and letting the bloodhounds work at their own pace. And unlike past searches with hundreds of volunteers, Adams said he is working with a small group of five or so.
So far, the hounds have found no trace of Peter Achermann.
"If somebody is out there within 200, 300 or 400 yards, they would key in on it," Adams said.
On Adams' visits to Minnesota to look for Sjodin and Dalquist 2003 and 2004 he was accompanied by his bloodhound Calamity Jane. She died shortly after Dalquist's funeral.
"It was the biggest loss of my life," Adams said. "I've lost family members but that's the way it is. When you lose a companion like Calamity Jane, she was irreplaceable."
Denny Adams, owner of Dakota Territory Search Dogs in Conde, S.D., stopped for a rest with his bloodhound search dogs Molly and Dru after a search Wednesday for Peter Achermann, the 82-year-old rural Leader man missing since July 24.
Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.
Molly, who worked with Calamity Jane, has been working splendidly and Dru has been doing well on her first road trip, Adams said.
He intends to use the same intensity he used in searching for Dalquist and Sjodin.
"The big thing is, you don't put up the tailgate up and go home. You continue to work. That's why we are here," Adams said.
"In these cases, you're working with emotions from the community, emotions from the family and the emotions from the dogs. They get depressed, too. You have a plateful. You've got a lot of stuff to do to make things work."
Adams said he and Franz Achermann have been joined at the hip since Adams arrived in Leader. Franz Achermann said he will keep searching for the sake of his family and his father.
"He lived to be 82. He accomplished more than most people ever would in their lifetime, we know that, and we know he had a good life and we're thankful we had him as long as we had but we still need to find him, we still need to know," Franz Achermann said. "The toughest part is not knowing."
Anyone with information on Peter Achermann's whereabouts is asked to call the Cass County Sheriff's Department at (800) 450-2677 or (218) 547-1424.
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.