Search locates man in preserve

AMHERST – Concerns over the emotional and physical well-being of a local man led to a several-hour search by police from three agencies Monday, Police Chief Peter Lyon confirmed Tuesday.

Personal problems, possibly stemming from family issues, apparently led the 40-year-old man – whom Lyon declined to identify – to take a long walk in and around the Horse Hill Nature Preserve, which is in southwest Merrimack on the border with Amherst.

Lyon said police were called to the man’s Seaverns Bridge Road residence around noon by family members who expressed concern that the man was despondent and possibly suicidal.

Police began searching the area, Lyon said, and asked for assistance from Merrimack officers when their search expanded over the border and into the Horse Hill preserve, a 563-acre conservation and passive recreation area between Amherst and Naticook roads that includes woods, wetlands and an extensive network of year-round hiking trails.

Shortly afterward, state police joined the search with their K-9 unit, Lyon said, adding that the significant number of officers involved in the search may have led the casual observer to assume the worst.

“Obviously, (the search) took some resources,” he said. “It looked like a lot more than it was.”

Roughly six hours after the search began, the man was spotted walking in the area of Baboosic Lake Road, according to Merrimack Police Chief Michael Milligan. He was interviewed by officers and reportedly evaluated by Merrimack ambulance personnel, but neither Milligan nor Lyon knew if he was transported to a medical facility for further treatment.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 31, or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.