CHICOPEE — It has been six weeks since Daniel Callahan went missing on the Connecticut River. A search for him continues.
The Connecticut man was last seen on Saturday, March 9, shortly after midnight, after it was reported that a man had walked into the river at the end of Walter Street in Chicopee.
The following day, Callahan’s car was pulled from the water.
Local law enforcement, including the Chicopee Police Department, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and Massachusetts State Police, began an extensive search for Callahan that day, according to Officer Travis Odiorne, public information officer for the Chicopee Police Department.
Capt. Katie Collins-Kalbaugh, public information officer for the Chicopee Fire Department, said first responders were deployed by the Westcomm Regional Dispatch Center on March 9. Using a boat staffed by the fire department, crews searched for Callahan on the banks of the river. The police department used a drone to search.
Odiorne said the police department’s search for Callahan was active for the first week — as is normal in cases like this.
“As time passes, though, (officers) scale back and just wait to see if a body surfaces,” he said. The river’s speed this time of year, and varying depths, makes it hard to predict where a body may have traveled.
Along the Windsor Locks Canal Trail in Connecticut, not far from where Callahan is from in East Windsor, neon yellow signs can be seen posted in the grass. They ask boaters or river-goers for assistance in finding Callahan.
The signs include a picture of Callahan, a smiling, 26-year-old man with facial hair wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap.
The signs describe what Callahan was last seen wearing: Dark gray plaid flannel, a black zip-up jacket, dark jeans and a black knit hat.
“Please help bring him home,” the sign reads. People are urged to contact the Chicopee Police Department with information.
Odiorne said the signs must have been posted by the family, as the department doesn’t usually post signs when people go missing. He wasn’t sure how far south down the river the search went.
Callahan’s father did not respond to a request for comment.
Callahan’s information has also been posted to a national missing persons database.
Keith Parent, a police lieutenant for the Enfield Police Department, said the department was asked to help with the search for Callahan by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office.
“We used our drone service to help law enforcement look for the individual who went missing,” he said. Parent said his department uses drones frequently when searching for a person who has gone missing, especially in forested areas, due to the infrared and thermal cameras in the drones.
Rob Rizzuto, communications director for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, said the office’s search effort is ongoing. Sheriff Nick Cocchi remains in contact with Callahan’s family, he said.
The sheriff’s office has been scouring the river, Cocchi said in an emailed statement.
“We’re committed to using all of our resources as we continue to search for Daniel, and our thoughts remain with his family as we work together to bring them closure,” Cocchi said.
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