A search for a missing elderly couple has turned into a “recovery mission” following their week-long disappearance, authorities say.
Carol Kiparsky, 77, and Ian Irwin, 72, were last seen on Feb. 14 in Inverness, California at a vacation cottage they had rented for Valentine’s Day, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Department.
Police said the two never checked out on Saturday and their personal belongings — including phone, wallets and their vehicle — were found at the rental home. Kiparsky and Irwin also missed an appointment scheduled for Sunday, a move the sheriff’s office said in a statement “is highly out of character for them.”
On Thursday, the department confirmed that officers received four independent alerts from cadaver K9 teams in the Shell Beach area just north of the cottage during their search.
“We believe that our extensive search efforts with every resource that has been available to us would have located Carol and Ian if they were responsive or in an area accessible by foot on land,” officials said. “We’ve worked tirelessly combing through all leads and areas surrounding the cottage they were vacationing at and are now calling this a recovery mission.”
The Marin County Sheriff’s Department plans to search Tomales Bay and its shoreline using boats, jet skits, an airplane and drones in the coming days, according to a statement. The United States Coast Guard will be assisting the search, as well as the Inverness Fire Department and National Park Service.
“Our thoughts are with the Kiparsky and Irwin family during this difficult time,” officials said. “We are asking that our community members please be diligent if they are in the Inverness area. Please observe your surroundings and report anything out of the ordinary or suspicious to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.”
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Jonas Irwin, the son of the Palo Alto couple, told The Mercury News that it’s “not reasonable” for the two to vanish without a trace.
“They did not disappear. That’s not in character. It’s not who they were,” he said. “They’re very connected and responsible people. They had every intention of coming back.”
Their son told the newspaper that he fears the worst as the search for the missing duo continues.
“There’s no way they’re going to reappear at this point,” he said. “I mean, you don’t know until you have them physically. But the prospect of us never getting that closure is really going to be bad.”
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Irwin, a scientist with decades of experience in Parkinson’s research, was previously the head of the Drug Assay Lab at Stanford University before becoming the director of neurochemistry at the Mountain View-based Parkinson’s Institute, according to his profile on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website.
Kiparsky is a linguist who authored several books including 1972’s The Gooficon: A Repair Manual for English.
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