Texas EquuSearch


Texas EquuSearch is a search and rescue organization dedicated to searching for missing persons. It has increasingly become involved in high-profile abduction cases, including that of Natalee Holloway, working through local law enforcement agencies. TES is headquartered in Dickinson, Texas, a suburb of Houston.

History

Originally named Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team, TES was founded in August, 2000 by Director Tim Miller after the abduction and murder of his daughter, Laura. It is a 501 non profit, all-volunteer organization originally conceived as a volunteer mounted search and rescue group to assist local law enforcement personnel in searching the vast areas outside the city of Houston for missing individuals. Although TES has relatively few permanent members, many thousands of volunteers have since assisted in searches throughout the United States and in other countries.
Volunteers are typically trained on the spot when a search is necessary. The expectation is that volunteers know how to use the equipment they bring with them, whether that is a horse, a FLIR equipped helicopter, or something in between. TES has gained a reputation as a well-equipped organization which can deploy on short notice resources such as radar, sonar, scuba diving or SAR dog teams, and vehicles ranging from all-terrain vehicles to boats to aircraft to remotely operated vehicles.

TES role in notable searches