DERRY — An organization that conducts free drone searches for missing people, pets, and livestock searched a 40-acre area on Friday for a woman last seen in Derry in 2020.
Rob Russell, the founder of 2A Tactical, a search-and-rescue drone organization, invited two other drone pilots to search Alexander Carr Park for Amanda Grazewski, who was 23 when she went missing.
Before the drones started flying, Russell met with Grazewski’s aunts, Joan O’Connor and Margaret Tourville, to discuss exactly what they would be looking for.
“Ultimately, we’re aren’t doing any physical digging,” Russell said. “People will ask, ‘How can a drone see from up there,’ but there’s indicators on the surface, like plant growth or disturbed dirt.”
During the search, the drones were brought down so the pilots could download the images taken during the flights. During each flight, the pilots would digitally mark points of interest where it looked like the ground had been disturbed.
He, along with the other pilots, were looking for signs of unnatural looking foliage, piles of dirt that might be a buried body, or personal belongings that could have belonged to Grazewski.
Tourville, who is Grazewski’s godmother, traveled from Rhode Island to watch the search.
“Hopefully we find something,” Tourville said. “It’s been a long road, going on five years now.”
Grazewski was reported missing after being dropped off at a friend’s apartment on Birch Street in Derry.
She left the residence without her purse, cell phone or other personal belongings and has not been heard from or seen since. At the time, she did not own or have access to a vehicle, according to a statement by the Derry police.
Grazewski does have a history of substance abuse and is known to have frequently visited Nashua, Salem, Manchester and Hooksett.
Derry police have spent more than 1,000 hours investigating Grazwinski’s case. They have done interviews, area searches, investigations into her social media and into internet activity, as well as following up on numerous tips submitted to the department.
This search was requested by Grazewski’s family. It stretched from the Fairways golf course up to the Alexander Carr Park skatepark, an area drone pilot Jenness Keller estimated was 40 acres.
“[The search] is better than not doing anything at all,” O’Connor said. “It’s better than just waiting.”
After an hour of searching, Keller pulled O’Connor and Tourville aside to show some of the points of interest he had seen from the sky.
Russell said the goal is to produce a survey-grade map, similar to one on Google Maps satellite view but with much more detail. While he’ll definitely share the map with the family and the police, his goal is to make it accessible to the public.
“Whatever thing we come up with, we need to put out there,” Russell said. “What we’re hoping is that we’re going to see some things and provide it to law enforcement and they can see if they want to do anything further.”