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Police help load a trained cadaver dog and her handler onto a boat to be transported to search the Klamath River between Blue Creek and the Klamath Glen for Emmilee Risling.

Photo by Allie Hostler/Two Rivers Tribune

lost his footing and fallen 120 feet to his death.

“We were then encouraged by folks here in Minnesota to create a foundation in his memory and to bring some good from his loss, so we did and have been pursuing that mission for 15 years now,” Francis said, adding that the foundation has now organized 28 searches, recovering remains of the missing in 10 of them.

The foundation provides its services at no cost to families of the missing or government agencies, instead relying on community donations to continue its work.

Humboldt County Sheri William Honsal said he’s grateful for the foundation’s resources, saying they allowed an “exhaustive search” over the area. While law enforcement managed and coordinated the search itself, Honsal said the foundation helped secure the search dogs and volunteers, put them up in hotels and fed them.

“This is not something we’d normally do but we do really want to do everything possible to fi nd her,” Honsal said.

While that e ort came up short, Francis said some of the trained volunteers suggested redoubling e orts in August, when the river will be lower. Speaking to the Journal by phone from an airport during his trip back to Minnesota, Francis said he just feels for the Risling family, saying he knows from experience how much these searches build hope and how they can send people back into a state of “deep grief” when unsuccessful. As to whether the foundation would return in August, Francis said it’s up to the family and the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes.

“If we’re invited, we’ll be involved,” he said.

For more information on the Jon Francis Foundation, including how to make a tax deductible donation to aid the foundation’s next search e ort, visit www. jonfrancisfoundation.org.

— Thadeus Greenson

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