“Teller SAR Team was initially unavailable, and Nome SAR was able to make it to mile 23 before having to return due to a ground storm,” authorities said. “The Alaska State Troopers chartered a helicopter to search from the air; however, weather prevented the helicopter from flying in the search area.”
The Associated Pressreported that the wind chill in Nome Monday morning was about 20 below 0 Fahrenheit.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said that the Alaska National Guard deployed a C130 aircraft to survey the area, which spotted “a snowmachine near mile 41 [of the Nome Teller highway] with no signs of the two missing people.”
“A Teller-based SAR team was unable to reach the site overnight due to the poor weather, and road-clearing crews from Nome were also unable to make it to the site from the Nome side,” the department continued.
A spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety told PEOPLE in an email Thursday that there is no evidence of foul play at this time.
Brenda Crim, a friend of the couple who runs Alaska Missions & Retreats, a non-profit organization that helps people overcome childhood trauma, tells PEOPLE that the couple married this summer while on a mission trip with the organization.
“They were so great people,” she says. “They helped people get through sobriety. Dustin worked in a homeless shelter at night.”
“They also gained a lot of respect from the local community because of how positive they were,” Crim shares. “They were probably the strongest humans I know — warm, positive, And very well-known in the community.”
The “loss” is devastating for everyone in Nome, a “very small community,” according to Crime. “[People are] really taking this hard,” she says. “They were two of our stars.”
source: people.com
