SAN ANTONIO — It’s been almost three weeks since Andreen McDonald has been missing.
On Sunday, a dedicated group of volunteers organized another search, and said they’ll continue looking until Andreen is found. The group had nothing but pure determination to lead them as the small-but-mighty army set out to find Andreen.
At first, the group planned to have a few cadaver dogs to help with the search.
“If we can get some clothing of Andreen's from the family, so that when we send the dogs out, each dog has her scent,” search organizer Malinda Pennell said.
So when the dogs didn’t come through, another neighbor did.
Laurie Gawelko said she runs a dog training that trains canines for veterans. She saw the group organizing their search efforts when driving by on Overlook Parkway and decided to stop and help.
“I’ve been reading about it every day, and I wanted to help,” she said.
Gawelko brought her dog Savage, who hasn’t had any formal law enforcement training as a search dog, but she said Savage has a hunting instinct.
“She’s the type that will go and go until she finds something,” Gawelko said.
The group hit the pavement in the Stone Oak area, and then began searching through the brush behind Andreen’s house. They re-tracked areas that law enforcement has already searched, but Pennell said they believe Andreen will be found between a 5 and 10 mile radius of her home.
“I'm not concerned about researching a terrain that's already been searched because the elements change, the weather changes, the wind blows, animals carry things away, and things get disturbed,” Pennell said.
All the volunteers searching on Sunday said they feel a connection to Andreen.
“There’s just something about her. She’s a mother, she’s a wife, she’s so relatable,” said volunteer Alex Dupree.
And this group said they’ll return to search again until Andreen is found.
“This is overwhelming, you know? Any idea is not a bad idea,” Pennell said.
PREVIOUSLY IN THIS STORY: