John Doyle's Panamanian Adventure

This page is intended to provide information about the status of John Doyle, who went missing in the mountains of Panama on Sunday afternoon approximately 5 PM Panama time (3 PM California/PDT).

Current Status (Tuesday 21:15 PM PDT, Aug. 28)

(Richard) John has been checked in to the Punta Pacifica hospital, after being first checked out at a clinic in El Valle and then driven by ambulance to Panama City (about 100 kilometers). Marie is with him and John is in good spirits (but hungry). Not clear yet whether he has any broken bones (may just be torn ligaments); he is able to move his arms and right leg, although with limited motion due to lots of pulled muscles.

What Happened

Marie and John in 2004

John and Marie were on vacation in El Valle, Panama. John went for a run on a trail yesterday (Sun) at 3 pm and was supposed to be back by 5 pm. When he wasn't back by 7 pm, they knew something was wrong and they started looking for him shortly after that. They searched until 1 am, but had to call off the search due to rain and clouds (plus darkness). They began the search again Monday morning and continued all day Monday. Initial contact is believed to have been made Monday, and he was located approximately (via shouting) by search teams on Tuesday morning. As of Tuesday mid-day, he has not been extracted because he is in a steep ravine where access is difficult.

The area is a settled location, which includes quite a few Americans, but it is relatively wild in flora/fauna. Here is a virtual tour of the region with pictures, courtesy of another hotel in the region.

Past Updates (in reverse order, most recent first)

• Tue, 5:00 pm (Mike Hucka) Just received email from Richard: John has been pulled out of the ravine. Richard's short note mentioned John being in an ambulance, but I am unclear about whether he is being taken by ambulance to the hospital, or by helicopter. More news as we learn it. In any case, it seems clear he is (or will shortly be) on his way to the hospital in Panama City.

• Tuesday 17:00 PDT (Richard Murray) John is currently headed down the hill in a stretcher. It is taking a lot of time because it is rough terrain and they need to go slow. Marie has talked to John on a cell phone and he sounds OK, given the circumstances. He should be down the mountain in another hour, at which point he and Marie will be taken by helicopter to a hospital (Puente Pacifico?) in Panama City (30 minute flight). Other details:
  • According to some of the rescue team that we talked to, John was not actually up in a tree. Might have been what it looked like from the vantage point of the helicopter.
  • Marie asked John if he could move his arms and legs and he said yes. He didn't think his leg was broken, but the rescue team is pretty sure.
  • The people here in Panama have been absolutely fantastic. They are doing so much to help bring all of this to a speed resolution. It is really wonderful and hard to describe how much everyone is pitching in.

• Tuesday 12:20 PDT update from our contacts at Emory:

"The helicopter flew over and spotted John -- in a tree! The crew wanted to see whether there might be an easier way to reach him -- and the result is that the ground searchers are climbing down to make a clearing nearby to make a helicopter landing possible. Marie said Panama emptied the zoo of most of the zoo workers to turn out more people to help in this search and the ground work that has to be done. Once rescued, he will be flown to Panama City.

She was standing with a Navy nurse who had a big chest full of medical supplies ready. The helicopter is back at the hotel at the moment (crew getting fed) while they wait for the landing to be cleared. Marie is concerned that the fog is beginning to creep back -- but she is so relieved and thanked everyone for all that has been done. She said that once she realized John will be rescued, she realized how exhausted she is. One cannot imagine."

• Tuesday, 10:20 am (Mike Hucka): A Panamanian (Navy?) helicopter has arrived on the scene. Marie is on her way to the accident site now.

• Tuesday, 9:40 am (Mike Hucka): according to an email directly from Marie, they've located John in a steep ravine that is making difficult an extraction by hand. They are trying to get helicopter help. Here is what Marie wrote (sent 9:20):

I know everyone is anxious for John, and I can feel that. He has at least a broken leg and ribs, but the rescuers cannot see him yet. There are two teams trying from two sides of the crevice, but they are estimating it will take all day to get him moved out, and the helicopters which would help, are stuck in an embassy bureaucracy. Since John is talking I am optimistic that this will ultimately be a good story. But there are dangers in moving people and the move will not be trivial in terms of his stabilization. Thanks...keep rooting for us from afar. Richard should be here in about an hour.

• Tuesday, 7:30 am: (Hall Daily): Marie reports that John has been found alive and that they are trying to extract him by helicopter. John's condition is still unknown (to us here).

"Marie called an Emory colleague: JOHN HAS BEEN FOUND!!!! The search parties, searching and calling back and forth, are getting responses from him and are drawing close to pinpointing his exact location. At the moment they have not precisely found him but most likely will at any moment. Marie is rushing to a small clinic there to try to be sure he gets first aid when he is brought in. She can certainly start a line if he needs IV fluids, etc. It's not clear yet whether he needs more than first aid."

• Monday, 8:20 pm (Hall Daily): from one of Marie's colleagues at Emory:

"I have just spoken with Marie. A pharmacist has given her some medication to help her sleep, but she sounded better. She reported some heartening information. First, this is a cloud forest, not a rain/jungle forest, and the snakes and other bad critters are much more benign. She said the word is out among the inhabitants of this town about John’s disappearance, and some locals have come forward wanting to help. One is a highly trained naturalist in the area (American), who was in the search party that communicated with John (shouting in the distance?) earlier today. Because of what John said in this shouting with the searchers, Marie believes it was he. The area where he went to run is very mountainous. They seem to believe John fell off a very steep drop, and is now difficult to reach by foot. This naturalist knows the area extremely well and said there are steep drops and deep places -- he thought a helicopter would be helpful both in spotting John and in helping to get him out – otherwise difficult. They have told Marie that he is not likely to get hypothermic. Another local (part of the national search team, I think she said) is connected with the Red Cross there, and the Red Cross is supplying dogs to search – on their way to the town now, Marie thinks. She has been told that helicopters will be up early tomorrow. She said John went to run and was not carrying his cell phone or even his water bottle.
"Marie is appreciative of everything that is being done to help.

• Monday, 7 pm (Richard): I talked to Marie at 7 pm PDT (9 pm Panama time). They have called off the search for the night, but some of the local Indians are apparently continuing to look. I will be flying down to Panama tomorrow to represent Caltech and help out in whatever way I can.

• Monday, 6 pm (Hall Daily): Sen. Chambliss' staff talked to Mike Hammett, American Citizen's Services Chief a moment ago. The rule is that they normally wait 24 hours to search and 72 to do a massive search but they have moved that up and a massive search is underway. They contacted the Defense Corp and they agreed to send up helicopters however, they only have about an hour of daylight left. They will resume the search effort in the morning. The hotel that Dr. Csete is staying at agreed to put the pilots up free of charge. Mr. Hammett said there are many different groups conducting a foot search.

• Monday, 4:00 pm (from Hall Daily): The fog reportedly rolled back into the area before helicopter(s) could be deployed today. If weather permits, they'll try again in the morning. An additional search party, however, was sent into the area within the last hour or so.

• Monday, 3:30 pm: Richard talked to Marie at ~3:00 pm (5:00 pm in Panama). They have not found John yet and the fog is starting to come back in, so the search crews will have to return home. There is a Panamanian Navy helicopter that is scheduled to help, but can't come in because of weather. There are apparently also US Navy helicopters a few hours away (according to Marie) and they should be able to join the search as soon as the weather permits (might be tomorrow at this point). Marie's brother will fly out Tue or Wed (not sure which) to join her.

• Monday, 2 pm: John and Marie are in Panama on vacation and John is missing in the mountains. He went for a run on a trail yesterday (Sun) at 3 pm and was supposed to be back by 5 pm. When he wasn't back by 7 pm, they knew something was wrong and they started looking for him shortly after that. They searched until 1 am, but had to call off the search due to rain and clouds (plus darkness). They began search again this morning, but they have not found him yet.

Other actions that have been taken:

• Caltech has contacted Congressman Schiff's office, who immediately contacted the US Embassy in Panama. They have assured us that all available resources will be made used to find John.

• Jean-Lou Chameau, Ed Stolper, Dave Rutledge, Dean Curry, Hall Daily (Government Relations) and others at Caltech have been informed of the situation and are working to insure that all available resources are available to help find John.

• Caltech and Emory are sending down representatives to help Marie. Richard Murray will be going from Caltech.

Newspaper stories and other reports

(Tuesday 2007-08-28) Pablo Parillo found the following articles about the event:

• In the local Panama newspaper on Tuesday morning: original version in Spanish, and Google translation into English.

• Article in Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday

Information about the region

Panama's time zone is UTC-5, which is 2 hours ahead of California/PDT and the same as the US central time zone.

Los Mandarinos hotel

Link to regional map of Panama. John and Marie are in the Coclé region.

Link to virtual tour of El Valle de Anton put together by another hotel there.

Los Mandarinos Boutique-Spa & Hotel is the hotel where they are staying. It's roughly 100 km from Panama City. Here are the GPS coordinates for the town, according to Carlos M. Celis from the Los Mandarinos:

latitude 8 deg 35 min - 8 deg 37 min north
longitude 80 deg 09 min - 80 deg 06 min south

Location on map: in Google in Mapquest

General region descriptions taken from different places:

• "El Valle De Anton is one of the most sought after locations for Expats relocating to Panama. The year-round average high temperature is 20° C (68° F), and the average nighttime minimum is a comfortable 16° C (61° F), there is little variation between summer and winter temperatures, the major difference being the amount of wind and rain from season to season. At an altitude of 2200 meters (7217.85 ft) El Valle is nestled in the long extinct second largest volcanic crater in the world (three by five mile crater). When you begin your descend into the crater from the rim you will notice that it is indeed situated in a round bowl of jagged mountain peaks. You will also notice an overall green appearance to the area due to the richness of the volcanic soil lending itself to the abundance of flowers that bloom there year round. It is very refreshing in contrast to Panama City where the building and houses fill the lots from corner to corner barely allowing sunlight to pass between them. El Valle is spread out with large lots; an abundance of trees and grass separating the well maintained houses. Many of homes are owned by local residents whose names could make up a Who's Who of Panama book." Source

El Valle de Anton

• "In the province of Cocle. According to geologists, El Valle is the crater of a dormant volcano, probably the largest in Central America. With a cool and pleasant climate, his picturesque valley rises 600 meters above sea level. This small town has a great variety of attractions such as Indian petroglyphs, hot springs, waterfalls, rock climbing and a variety of hikes for all abilities." Source

• More descriptions of the region and more pictures available here and here