I was a counselor at a camp on Long Lake when Doug Legg disappeared, and I spent a long, chilly, rainy day on the search, in a group led by a member of the faculty--Rainer Brock, I think--at the Huntington Wildlife Forest. The whole affair was indeed a media event, unlike anything that has happened before or since in Newcomb. Given the roughness of the terrain, I think the search was quite effectively run. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of acres of dense forest were closely examined. I've been back to the Santanoni Preserve several times since then and have always thought the kid probably drowned very close to where he was last seen; there are many small ponds and wetlands on the property, close to the main camp. I also remember the rumors that quickly began circulating--that Doug was murdered by some adult in the family or that the whole thing was a fraud, staged by the family hoping the publicity would increase the value of the property. I find both of these notions ridiculous. The poor child wandered off into the woods, and his family was crushed.
Phil Terrie
Phil Terrie
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