A sweeping search operation is unfolding in eastern Dutchess County after a well-known local public figure disappeared without a trace. Crews are looking for Ryan Cortine, the former Dover town supervisor, who vanished from his own property over the weekend and has not been seen since, setting off an urgent effort to find him.
Cortine is a familiar name in the community. He served as Dover town supervisor for eight years and remains the current chairman of the Dover Planning Board, as well as a volunteer firefighter. Beyond his civic roles, he is a math professor and the father of a college student, a man described by those who know him as deeply woven into local life.
The circumstances of his disappearance are what have alarmed investigators. State police say Cortine went out to his yard to do some work at around 9:30 on Sunday morning and never came back inside. He left his phone and other personal items in the house, a detail that has only deepened the mystery and the sense of urgency surrounding the search.
The response has been extensive. State troopers, firefighters and state forest rangers have been deploying all available resources, working out of a staging area on Old Pauling Road not far from Cortine's home. They have been joined by the State Division of Homeland Security, which arrived with equipment to assist crews combing swamps, ponds and hiking trails across the area.
The terrain itself has made the task harder. The area is described as fairly remote, with limited cell phone service and rugged ground that complicates the search. State police say the operation is so large specifically because of the odd circumstances surrounding the disappearance, and not simply because Cortine is a public official.
Those who work alongside him are anxious for answers. The current town supervisor, who works with Cortine on government matters and through the local fire company that is helping with the search, said his last contact with him came through a text message on Sunday morning, shortly before what was expected to be a routine day, and that he has heard nothing since.
Authorities are now leaning on the community for help. Cortine was last seen wearing tan pants and a black t-shirt, and police are asking anyone in the area to check any ring camera or surveillance footage they may have, stressing that no tip is too small. They are urging anyone with information to contact the New York State Police as the search continues.