Items found in ongoing Shenandoah search

Search crews found items Tuesday night that they believe belong to Earl F. Funk, the 50-year-old Staunton man missing in the Cedar Mountain area of Shenandoah National Park since Sept. 29.

Day nine of the search resumed this morning, concentrating attention outside of the national park, park officials said.

Funk, who park officials said has an undetermined medical condition that limits his mobility, was last seen by an acquaintance Monday before he left on an ATV in search of ginseng root. The ATV was later found. Hundreds of trained rescuers and several dog teams have searched for Funk. Almost 98 percent of national park searches were concluded within 24 hours in 2007, park system spokesman Jeffrey Olson said.