“At-Risk” man missing out of San Luis Obispo found dead
Carl and Barbara Peck are stunned to hear about the death of their next-door neighbor, 75-year-old Richard Korsgaard.
After four days of searching, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office says they found the man dead in a heavily wooded area only a few miles away from his home on Wednesday.
“Well this is very shocking and sad, he was a very fine neighbor of ours,” says Carl Peck a next-door neighbor.
“Well my heart just sunk,” says Barbara Peck.
Their beloved neighbor of 10 years was found dead in a ravine, just about a mile away from their homes on Balm Ridge Way in rural San Luis Obispo.
The sheriff’s office says Search and Rescue team members from Kern County found him.
“Very gentle man, lovely individual, good listener, former bank president,” says Carl.
“Every time I would drive down the hill or take a walk, my eyes would be searching,” says Barbara.
Korsgaard disappeared on Sunday after going on a walk.
“Miss him a lot, of course he was ill the past few years,” says Carl.
KCOY 12 spoke with his wife Charlene on the phone, she was still too emotional to talk on camera but, wanted to thank the first responders and neighbors for their search efforts.
“Well we’re very close here, we have a neighborhood dinner here every month, every six weeks, share good food at each others home,” says Carl.
Over the past few years, Korsgaard’s Alzheimer’s disease got increasingly worse.
“Charlene has been the model companion, taking such good care of him, such good patience, just love her for that. She would take him to play a few rounds of golf, walk him up and down with the dog, just very heart-warming, now it’s very heart-breaking,” says Carl.
Search and rescue teams from seven counties helped in the search. The cause of death has not been determined as of yet.
“We’ll miss him,” says Barbara.
“We’ll just always remember Richard as the wonderful man he was,” says Carl.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is recommending people look in to the Project Lifesaver program.
It’s a free program where people can enroll and are given wristbands to wear that can give out a tracking signal to help find them if they are lost.
For more information check out the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office website. http://www.slosheriff.org/project_lifesaver.php
Update as of 1:45 p.m. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that 75-year-old Richard Korsgaard was found dead.
Search and Rescue Team members from Kern County helped find the man. Right now, it’s clear the cause of death.
Investigators says at this time it does not appear that his death is suspicious.
Korsgaard was found in a heavily wooded area about a quarter mile of Balm Ridge Court. Officials say this is about one to two miles away from his home.
Update: Wednesday marks Day 4 as crews continue their search for missing 75-year-old Richard Korsgaard.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department is searching for the missing man out of San Luis Obispo.
Richard Korsgaard was last seen on Sunday walking near his home on the 6000 block of Balm Ridge Way in rural San Luis Obispo.
Korsgaard is considered at-risk because he is suffering from Alzheimers.
On Monday, deputies, detectives, Search and Rescue personnel, four K9’s and a helicopter from the Sheriff’s Aero Squadron conducted a search of the area.
On Wednesday, the search area will be expanded and the Sheriff’s Office has requested an additional 30 Search and Rescue personnel from seven counties to help with the search.
Reporter Sean Larsen will have more details about this story coming up at 5 and 6 p.m.
Original:
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 75-year-old man missing out of San Luis Obispo.
Richard Korsgaard was last seen on Sunday walking near his home on the 6000 block of Balm Ridge Way in rural San Luis Obispo.
Korsgaard is considered at-risk because he is suffering from Alzheimers.
On Monday, deputies, detectives, Search and Rescue personnel, four K9’s and a helicopter from the Sheriff’s Aero Squadron conducted a search of the area.
On Wednesday, the search area will be expanded and the Sheriff’s Office has requested an additional 30 Search and Rescue personnel from seven counties to help with the search.
Rugged terrain is creating difficulty for search and rescue personnel. Recent storms have also made slippery conditions for search teams.
Korsgaard is 5-feet 11-inches, 170-pounds with gray hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray V-neck sweatshirt with black cuffs, blue jeans and black clog shoes.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office at (805) 781-4550.
