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I felt like I needed to email you (Abigail Whitehouse, contributing writer) immediately after reading your article.

The missing fisherman in Lincoln County that you wrote the article about is my father. He is so loved by his family, friends and community and we are beyond relieved that he is alive and well.

But that is not really the entire reason I am emailing you.

I am so proud of my community for coming together and helping search for my dad. I firmly believe Chase Marcum and his precious bloodhound, Linda Cook and Sheriff Curt Folger deserve some recognition. They were there immediately after my mother called the police. It was automatically comforting when Curt showed up, he has been a family friend for many years. I remember being a small child and seeing him at his hair salon. For him to be there and help my mother means so much to us. I want him to know that. He is a very great man.

I am so grateful to live in the small town of Stanford and have such a wonderful community. A community that really, really cares for each other. Today was one of the worst days I have ever had. I truly believed my father was gone for good. But to see all of those people out there looking for him was relieving for me.

The job that these officers have to do is incredible. it’s pouring rain and everyone is soaked and freezing and wading through mud, yelling and tracking and searching, walking all around that godforsaken lake to look for my dad. Like I previously said, Chase, Linda and Curt deserve so much recognition for being such amazing people and being dead set on what they are doing. We found dad alive and well, a little disoriented and soaking wet, cold and tired, but he is alive. thank the good lord.

And that beautiful, BEAUTIFUL bloodhound of Chase’s. He was on it as soon as he got dad’s scent off of a chicken liver-covered nasty old rained on fishing pole that had been sitting in the lake for approximately 11 hours! Truly amazing work. I am astounded with my community and our boys who serve and protect. My heart is full. This is my thank you note to them.

Helen Yocum
Stanford