Search and rescue teams rappelled into steep ravines and cut through tough terrain Saturday searching for a Berkeley father of two after he went for a run in the hills above Pleasanton, hoping a renewed search would provide closure for his family and friends.
Philip Kreycik, 37, has not been seen since the morning of July 10, the day he left his home for what would have been an hour-long workout for the experienced runner at East Bay Regional Park. He didn’t return home.
His wife, Jen Yao, reported Kreycik missing that day and the search began within hours.
His car was found in a cul-de-sac at the trailhead, with his wallet and phone inside.
Law enforcement search teams and family and friends scoured the trail area and surrounding terrain, but failed to find any clue and the official search was scaled back. The search shifted to interviewing people who know him, including colleagues at Clean Energy Solutions Center, a government-sponsored agency.
On Saturday, 125 certified search and rescuers from across Northern California gathered again to resume the search after an analysis of previously searched areas and interviews with experienced runners to assess what Kreycik might have done on the extremely hot day he went for the run.
Kreycik’s father, Keith Kreycik, sat with community volunteers coordinating search efforts Saturday morning in the parking lot of Foothill High School, near the official command center. He declined to speak, saying only that there was still hope.
Whiteboards listed volunteer drone operators and flyer distribution plans at a local farmers’ market.
The search area in the Pleasanton Ridge area of the East Bay Regional Park encompasses a region between a footprint found on a trail two weeks ago and the parking area where Kreycik left his car, said Pleasanton police Lt. Chris Niederhaus.
“This is another theory that maybe he went in a different direction,” Niederhaus said.
The area has already been searched, but using GPS locators from previous efforts, officials determined that there were still parts of the Tejan Creek area where he would be.
Local runners told authorities that it isn’t uncommon for them to decide to take a shortcut back to their starting point and bushwhack through an area to get back to their cars. It’s possible Kreycik did the same, veering off the train onto narrow and steep paths.
“It’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Niederhaus said.
Alameda County search and rescue volunteer Angela Hale was out on the hill for a few hours Saturday morning with her dog Riggs, searching steep drainages covered in slippery leaves, she said.
Riggs, trained to pick out the scent of human remains, didn’t find anything in their assigned area.
“We want to find him,” Hale said. “We’re here for the family and his friends.”
“It’s frustrating,” Niederhaus said. They have used drones, infrared imaging, boots on the ground and dozens of search dogs and found nothing, he said. There is no evidence of a mountain lion attack or other mishap on the trail, he added.
An ongoing investigation has also found no indication of foul play, Niederhaus said.
“You want to give answers to the family so bad,” he said. “We’ll continue to do what we can.”
Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
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Search for missing Berkeley runner resumes as officials test new theory about his path - San Francisco Chronicle
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