Balloon fails to locate Frein as manhunt continues

The helium-filled balloon deployed to search for Eric Frein has been returned to Ohio.

"Due to the tree canopy and rugged terrain of our search area, the balloon was not as helpful, as everyone hoped it would be," Pennsylvania Trooper Tom Kelly said.

The dense woods of the Poconos have hampered every method of searching for Frein, police said. The terrain has made it difficult for officers to search for the alleged killer on foot, with search dogs, helicopters, and now with an unmanned balloon.

The Mylar balloon, owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation, flew over the woods Monday in search of Frein. Police said the balloon, equipped with a camera that could see as far as three miles, was quieter and less expensive to use than a helicopter.

But the so-called blimp in a box was returned to Ohio on Tuesday.

Police have reported several possible sightings of Frein in the last six weeks, though officials are not certain any of the sightings were actually of the 31-year-old fugitive.

On Tuesday, a resident in Barrett Township reported a "dark silhouette of a man in the woods," Kelly said. But search teams that descended on the area found no sign of Frein.

Frein is charged with killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass outside the state police barracks in Blooming Grove on Sept. 12.

Police say the self-styled survivalist has been hiding in the woods of Pike and Monroe Counties since the shootings. Despite the discovery of items police say Frein left behind, he has eluded capture for more than six weeks as more than 1,000 law enforcement officers have scoured the woods.