The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office has suspended the full ground search for an 86‑year‑old Hill City man who has been missing for more than a week.
Ronald Deloss Blanchard was last seen in Hill City around 5 p.m. on Monday, April 6. Blanchard is described as a white male, standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds.
Officials said the decision to scale back search efforts comes after an extensive, multi‑agency operation led by Pennington County Search and Rescue. While ground searches have been suspended, the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division continues to actively work the case. Authorities said no additional details are being released at this time.
Numerous agencies assisted in the search, including Hill City Fire and Ambulance, Custer County and Lawrence County Search and Rescue teams, South Dakota Wildland Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, Pennington County Emergency Management, and several regional fire and rescue departments.
Anyone who has seen Blanchard or who has information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Pennington County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Marc Davies at 605‑394‑6115.
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