Krystal Cain still missing at Booubyjan as human remains detection dogs join search
Human remains detection dogs have joined the hunt for missing teenager Krystal Cain, who hasn’t been seen since she was swept away in raging floodwaters west of Gympie almost two weeks ago. LATEST UPDATE
Gympie
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The search for missing 14-year-old Krystal Cain will be officially scaled back as human remains detection dogs join the quest to find her.
It comes as the search for the missing girl, who was last seen swept away in raging floodwaters at Booubyjan on January 8, approaches its second week.
A Queensland Police spokesperson said the search party to find the young teen included police divers, officers on foot and horseback, ATV’s and drones, but there had been no sign of Krystal.
“Despite a thorough examination over the last thirteen days by Queensland Police divers, officers on foot, horseback, use of ATVs, aerial assets including drones, search crews have been unable to locate any sign of Krystal,” they said.
The party has searched a 10km radius of the area off the Burnett Highway at Booubyjan, where Krystal was last seen.
The Victorian teenager and her father, Lenny Cain, were caught in floodwaters at Booubyjan on January 8, after a freak downpour from ex tropical cyclone Seth.
It was believed the duo managed to flee their Toyota Camry moments before it was swept away, but became separated.
Mr Cain was winched to safety from a tree several hours later on Saturday afternoon (January 8), but Krystal was nowhere to be found.
The search was scaled back to account for receding flood waters on Thursday, January 13, but Gympie Patrol Group Inspector and District Disaster co-ordinator Paul Algie said he would not rest until Krystal was found.
Inspector Algie said on January 13, floodwaters in the area at the time were up to 10m deep, and access, particularly at the start of the search, was extremely difficult.
The public’s willingness to help was “admirable” and a “natural response to want to help” in the aftermath, he said, but members of the search teams had been succumbing to heat stress and leg and ankle injuries.
Insp Algie vowed the search would continue for Krystal but urged well-meaning members of the public not to try to help as the flood zone was still “too dangerous”.
“This environment is incredibly dangerous and is only suitable for trained experts,” he said.
“Please do not come out.”
The pandemic had “complicated things” but “we’re making do”.
Insp Algie said the area resembled a “war zone” with fencing down, dead livestock, large piles of debris and several crashed and submerged vehicles, including the vehicle belonging to the father and daughter from the South Burnett that miraculously survived last week”.
The family who called it in are “highly distressed” but have opened their home to serve as a command post for the search.
Police staff have come in off leave early to help.
“We hold grave fears for the missing child but we continue to work through all available air and land strategies to try and locate her.”
Krystal’s family continue to hope she will be found alive.
They told the Courier Mail the “bright soul with the world at her fingertips,” was swept away in a torrent of water while travelling to Agnes Water to see her grandparents on Saturday, after ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth unleashed an extraordinary final blast and delivered more rain than even the first 24 hours of the infamous Cyclone Yasi.
A GoFundMe was created to help the family.
The initial calls to triple-0 said “a male person could be heard yelling for help”, Insp. Algie said.
“Further, that two persons were in the creek, with one in a tree and one in a paddock.”
A subsequent phone call said a “young girl could be seen being swept away by floodwater”.
QPS and QFES were unable to access the search area for another 24 hours, on Sunday afternoon.
Search teams were forced to traverse “flooded creeks and heavily damaged roads impacted by landslides”.
Deluged roads and extreme weather conditions caused difficulty for crews and aerial assets.
The search continues.
Two others had died after being swept away in the floods.
Adam Ross, a Glenwood produce store worker was killed after his vehicle was swept away in floodwaters at Kanigan on January 7, and Bauple farmer Steve Bottcher was swept away during a mercy mission by boat to an isolated neighbour.
After the boat flipped, his partner and daughter managed to survive by clinging to foliage.
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