The parents of a missing Marine appealed this afternoon for their son to contact them.
“Lance, this is our message to you, pal,” said Lloyd Hering, at a press conference at the entrance to Eldorado Canyon State Park. Lance Hering’s friend, Steve Powers, reported that he’d been injured in a fall at the park on Aug. 29th. When Powers led rescuers back to the site, there was no sign of Hering.
Hundreds of searchers spent days combing the wilderness before Boulder County authorities arrested Powers for false reporting, and said Hering had apparently decided to disappear, rather than to return to his Marine base this month.
“You mean the world to us and your brother, and to all your friends,” said Lloyd Hering today. “We love you and we need you more than you can possibly imagine. Please call home, pal. Please call home.”
Hering said he mistrusts Steve Powers’ current story.
“It may be as completely false as the lies he told us all for ten days.”
Hering was last seen two weeks ago today, leaving the family’s home at 3 p.m. The family doesn’t know if Lance is injured, has become the victim of foul play, or is purposely hiding.
“The truth is, that no one we can depend upon has seen Lance since that moment he left the house. His fate and his location is a complete mystery and if anything, that mystery has deepened as the search has gone on.
“We know lots of places where Lance is not and that’s part of finding where Lance is,” he said.
Lloyd Hering thanked the volunteers, Marines and search and rescue crews who spent time on the search.
This morning, military authorities clarified Hering’s status. He has not been declared officially AWOL, as the date on which he was due back to Camp Pendleton is Sept. 18th, not the 11th as had been originally reported.
Lance Hering is facing charges in Boulder related to his disappearance and the costly search effort.
