After 12 days of searching for the man charged with ambushing a police barracks in rural Pennsylvania, officials are saying that they are still confident that the suspect is somewhere in the densely wooded search area.  Eric Frein, a 31-year-old survivalist and skilled marksman, is wanted for killing police officer Bryon Dickson and injuring officer Alex Douglass in the 12 September attack.  Residents of the Pocono mountain towns surrounding Frein’s home in Canadensis edged closer to normalcy on Tuesday with area schools back in session after being closed for several days.  But with school buses closed from entering the main search area and at least one helicopter overhead in the areas of Barrett and Price Townships, Frein is still at the front of people’s minds.  Daniela Rivera, a resident in the prime search area told the Pocono Record that she had to cancel a doctor’s appointment and was unable to go on her normal errands.  “Today, police knocked on our door and searched our house and back yard, where we have sheds and where my boys dug a ditch when they were younger to play soldier games,” said Rivera. “Police wanted to see if there’s anywhere anyone can hide.”  In a statement on Tuesday, police said they have been “diligent in respecting the rights of the public while working hard to keep both residents and law enforcement personnel safe.”  Police have asked residents to report any possible shelters that Frein could hide in, to light their homes at night and to review footage they may have from things like trail cameras. While residents are anxious to see Frein apprehended, officials have provided few leads on the investigation, though they have said they are confident he is the narrowed search area.  On Sunday, police said they had found items in the forest that could have been Frein’s, including an AK-47, an automatic weapon magazine and ammunition.  “Based on our investigation, we know Frein has prepared and planned extensively for months or maybe years,” said state police Lt Col George Bivens. “He planned his attack and his retreat – however, we believe we are closing in on him.”  Frein, who grew up in these woods and attended school in surrounding towns, has a keen familiarity with the wilderness he is said to be hiding in. The densely wooded area has limited visibility, is rife with water sources and is low on dangerous wildlife. People familiar with the region, which is frequented by hunters, say the conditions are favorable for someone trying to hide for a longtime.  The Today show on Tuesday released footage of Frein in an upcoming Vietnam war re-enactment documentary. The footage was shot four years ago and shows Frein describing how it’s difficult to find people in the dense woods he is now thought to be hiding in.  As the search drags on, the community has provided the hundreds of law enforcement officers in the area with pasta, hoagies and cake. Last week, someone brought sandwiches and donuts to the regional reporters who have become as much a fixture in the neighborhood as the officers.
Pennsylvania authorities say they think suspect Eric Frein is in wooded search area 12 days after manhunt began