Breaking: Missing Robbins couple found alive
“We have received a miracle and a blessed gift from God today.”
That’s how Dee Frogge described news that her sister, June Young, and her sister’s husband had been discovered four days after they first went missing in a mountain wilderness area near the Scott-Morgan county line.
Larry and June Young were discovered shortly after lunch time Wednesday afternoon by search and rescue teams who have been combing the forested mountain area between Indian Fork Creek and Mill Creek for several days.
The news was first reported by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which canceled a Silver Alert it had issued Tuesday and said that it had “great news” to report, adding that the Youngs had been found safely.
Larry and June Young had been missing since around 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. They had traveled off-road in a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle in the Sarvis Flats area east of Sunbright, entering at Mill Creek. They were expected to re-emerge at Indian Fork Creek at Brimstone. They phoned a friend some time later to say that they had encountered some trouble with their vehicle. However, their friend was unable to locate them.
The search began on Sunday with friends and family launching a search of the area where they believed the Youngs to have been located. The search intensified on Monday, when authorities were notified. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office and Scott County Rescue Squad utilized both dogs and drones from the Morgan County Correctional Facility. They were able to locate the Youngs’ ATV but did not find the couple, who had apparently abandoned the disabled vehicle to attempt to hike out of the mountains.
Both Larry Young and his wife are in their 70s, and family members said they each suffer from serious medical conditions.
Sheriff Brian Keeton said Monday evening that the search dogs “were working” after picking up the couple’s scent.
The search continued Tuesday and into Wednesday, with volunteers staying in the forest around the clock in an attempt to find the missing couple.
Larry Young was first discovered by rescue crews Wednesday afternoon, after separating from his wife as he attempted to reach help. He was able to point them in her direction, and she was located a short time later, according to reports.
Larry Young was able to be driven out of the mountains in an off-road vehicle. An air evacuation team was dispatched, reportedly to transport June Young out of the mountains and to a Knoxville-area hospital.
No further details were immediately available, as authorities worked to assist in the ongoing rescue efforts.
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