RCMP put out call for help after 74-year-old mushroom picker reported missing

RCMP have put out a call for anyone who knows the area around Hanson Lake Road north of Smeaton to help with a search for a missing 74-year-old woman.

Lois Chartrand was last seen Thursday morning during a mushroom picking expedition, RCMP said. Chartrand, an experienced mushroom picker, became separated from the other person she was with, and her companion became concerned and called police. RCMP said Chartrand is wearing blue jeans and a blue jacket. She stands five feet tall and weighs 90 pounds.

While Chartrand is a missing person, she is not entirely out of contact. Chartrand has a radio with her, RCMP said, and officers have been in touch with her as of 6 a.m. but have not yet been able to locate her. Severe thunderstorms brought wind and rain to the area overnight Thursday, which hampered search efforts overnight.

The RCMP put out a call for help from the public, asking anyone familiar with the area northeast of kilometre 30 on Hanson Lake Road to join in the search. A command post has been established about 32 kilometres north of Smeaton on Highway 106.

Members of the Nipawin, Carrot River, Deschambault Lake and Smeaton RCMP detachments are currently involved in the search, and police said volunteers will assist with a methodical grid search. Police specified that they are hoping to connect with volunteers who know the area well, as there is no cell service and they do not want people unfamiliar with the terrain to become lost as well.