GARDNER, MASS. (WHDH) - Massachusetts State Police said a specialized unit was once again searching a forest in Worcester County Friday as authorities continue to look for a murder suspect who hasn’t been seen since October 2023.
An MSP spokesperson confirmed to 7NEWS that members of a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) were searching the woods in Ashburnham and Gardner as police resumed efforts to find Aaron Pennington, who is wanted on a charge of murder for the death of his wife, Breanne Pennington.
In an update near 4:30 p.m., spokesperson Dave Procopio said the search had concluded.
“We searched an extensive wooded area by foot and ATVs, including a 25-mile stretch along power lines,” Procopio said. “Nothing to report.”
Authorities launched an intense search for Pennington back in late October after Breanne was found fatally shot at the couple’s Gardner home on Sunday, Oct. 22. Police located Breanne following a 911 call from a neighbor, who called after the Pennington’s four children went to the neighbor’s house for help.
Police later located Aaron Pennington’s vehicle thanks to a hunter who spotted it 1,500 feet down a wooded trail in the Camp Collier area of Gardner, near the Ashburnham/Gardner line.
Multiple search teams scoured the area afterwards, including a Massachusetts State Police Dive Team and Marine Unit, before efforts to find Pennington were suspended.
Just over two months after the search was paused, MSP spokesperson Dave Procopio said a state police SERT team had been called in.
“SERT is our search and rescue unit specifically trained for, among other missions, ground searches of difficult terrain,” Procopio said in a statement to 7NEWS Friday morning.
Though Friday’s search later concluded, Procopio said the investigation into Pennington’s whereabouts was ongoing.
Anyone with information on Pennington’s whereabouts is asked to call Gardner police at 978-632-5600.
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