Bear Valley, CA…On March 14, 2018, at approximately 11:00pm Jane-Drummond Mullarkey reported to the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office that her husband, Thomas Mullarkey, had not returned to their cabin after a day of skiing at the Bear valley Resort. The Alpine County Sheriff’s Office initiated a full-scale search that continued for five days during which heavy snow, avalanche danger and poor visibility conditions persisted. Based on information gathered by investigators, the search was focused within the resort’s boundary. On March 19, 2018, the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office reduced the search to a limited but continuous search both within the resort’s perimeter and surrounding backcountry as the snow pack melted.

On May 14, 2018, search and rescue dogs trained to detect the scent of human remains alerted to an area of the ski resort known as Groovy Gully. Soon after the dog’s alert, searchers found a ski pole and ski protruding from the surface of the snow. Mr. Mullarkey’s body was located just beneath the snow where the pole and ski were discovered.

The Alpine County Sheriff’s Office offers their sincerest condolences and would like to thank the Mullarkey family and their many friends for their patience and understanding during this very emotional and painful event.