When officials found a car linked to Boelter 10 hours ago in Sibley County, it seemed like a significant breakthrough. But a massive search has not located the man accused of shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers yesterday, Sibley County Sherriff Patrick Nienaber said.
The search will continue “as long as we need to, as long as we believe that there’s reason that he might be in the area,” Nienaber said in an interview this afternoon.
Authorities discovered the car in a densely wooded area today, Nienaber said. He said that the search near the vehicle is now complete but that the suspect has yet to be found.
Somewhere around 150 to 200 officers were involved in the search today, Nienaber said.
“We are doing the best that we can. This is not a fast process,” he said. “Everybody, including myself, would like this to be done quickly, but we need to do it properly.”
Officials lack key information that could lead them to Boelter.
Logically, Nienaber said, finding a car and a hat connected to the suspect in the area suggests he was present at least earlier this morning. Beyond that, however, there is little to indicate where he might be.
“We have no more information since then to tell us if he’s still in the area,” Nienaber said. “That’s been 10-plus hours since that was located. So we don’t know where he is.”