Nye County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue have not provided much in the way of details on the man reported missing, other than the search is over.
A sheriff’s office press release said the search for Ross John Artese, 48, was suspended at 4 p.m. on Sept. 10.
The family of Artese was informed of the decision, based on information gathered during the course of the day.
The release also stated a reported sighting of Artese was investigated and was corroborated by a second individual, neither of whom knows one another or Artese.
“In this sighting, Mr. Artese was heading westbound on Mesquite toward Highway 160 with his dog on its lead in between the county landfill and Highway 160,” it stated. “Believing Mr. Artese to be out of the desert search area and heading toward a populated area the search and rescue teams have been recalled. Mr. Artese is still listed as a missing person and deputies are still keeping a lookout for him, however it appears he is in no danger.”
Artese was last seen on Friday, Sept. 5 walking with his pet husky off West Mesquite Road near the Southern Nevada Detention Facility.
Search crews located and impounded his vehicle, which was reportedly well stocked for camping.
The release also noted the mother of Artese wished to thank all of the individuals involved in the week-long search.
It should be noted that an individual close to the search effort said Artese actually picked up his vehicle from the county impound yard last week while the search was ongoing.
Attempts to contact Artese about his adventure were unsuccessful by press time.
It remains unclear exactly what the costs amounted to as a result of the search and rescue mission, as teams labored in the desert heat to locate Artese.
The search involved officials from the Nevada Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Civil Air Patrol, along with Las Vegas Metro’s Search and Rescue air support, and the Nevada State Search and Rescue coordinator.