Searches have been suspended in the case of the missing Minnesota man in Montana. It has been 17 days since Allan Theis, 52, of Eden Valley, left his hotel room at the Super 8 Motel in Lewistown, Mo., to go mule deer hunting nearby. He hasn’t been seen since. Searches began Tuesday, Nov. 2, to locate Theis, after his pickup truck was seen from a plane. Tom Killham, Fergus County Sheriff said trained men and women, dogs and patrols on foot looked throughout the area. Air searches also were conducted. “We are extremely grateful for all of our volunteers,” Killham said. “We averaged about 20-25 trained volunteers a day throughout the search.” To keep the search alive, Killham has asked pilots to keep a keen eye on the area while flying overhead. He also said searches will continue on roads as the weather gets better. But there will be no more on-foot searches because of rugged weather conditions. “It’s too dangerous,” Killham said. Theis originally checked into the Super 8 Motel Nov. 22. He stayed the evening of Nov. 23 and left to hunt Monday morning, Nov. 24, something not out of the ordinary. Adella Theis, Allan’s mother, said her son usually hunts every year in a different place, alone. She said he had hunted this area before, about two years ago. “I would say he knew it (the area) pretty good,” Adella said. She added that he knows some survival skills for winter as he is an avid hiker. She hopes this will keep her son alive. Killham said he recently took over the sheriff position but has worked for Fergus County for the past 28 years. He has worked on missing cases before, but this is his first as sheriff. “Off the hip, I would have to say the longest I have heard someone surviving would be two days.” He thought that someone with the right tools and skills could have a remote chance of surviving in the current wintery conditions. Adella is more concerned about bringing her son home safely. As for now, “It feels terrible, of course,” she said.
