Our Team

Suzanne Elshult, M.A., is a certified Historical Human Remains Detection (HHRD) K9 handler. She is the founder and President of Cairn Canine Detection (CCD), a not-for-profit organization specializing in non-invasive canine surveys supporting archaeological, cultural resource management (CRM), and historical preservation. 

She is also contractor/associate member with the Canine Forensics Foundation (K9FF). Suzanne has deployed on well over two hundred K9 search missions and HRD detection projects over the last 25 years, both as a project manager/K9 lead and K9 handler. 

She works with archaeologists, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, cultural resources managers, historical societies and government agencies. She is recognized for integrating canine detection with ethical practice, cultural sensitivity, and scientifically grounded field methods. Suzanne is also the founder and past President of Cascadia Search Dogs. 

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Sally Olsen is a board member of Cairn Canine Detection (CCD), a non-profit organization specializing in non-invasive canine surveys supporting archaeological, cultural resource management (CRM), and historical preservation. She is a contractor/associate member with the Canine Forensics Foundation (K9FF) and also a co-founder, member and former chair of Kitsap County Search and Rescue. 

She has been actively training and deploying her detection dogs since 2002. Sally specializes in old cold cases, clandestine burials and historical/archaeological searches with her dogs and has deployed on over 200 missions and detection projects as well as the Oso landslide in 2014.

 She is a Historical Human Remains Detection Dog handler (HHRD) and her two Labrador retrievers, Meara and Torr, are certified HHRD and land Human Remains Detection (HRD) K9s. She works with archaeologists, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, cultural resource managers, historical societies and government agencies. 

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June Mansfield has been active in Search and Rescue since 2009 and is a Certified Field Support Member. She is a co-founder of Cairn Canine Detection. June has an extensive background in administration and fundraising. In addition to being the Treasurer of Cairn Canine Detection, she is a member of Cascadia Search Dogs, Mason County Search Dogs, the WA State SAR Planning Unit and the WA State Search & Rescue Volunteer Advisory Council.

 June has been the recipient of the Snohomish County Volunteer Search & Rescue President’s Award which is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the building of SCVSAR. June has also served as the K9 Operational Lead on several large missions utilizing K9 teams from multiple counties and more recently on historical search projects. 

Guy Mansfield, PhD/Vice President, has been active in Search and Rescue since 2008, with experience as a member of Everett Mountain Rescue and the Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue. He has deployed on SAR missions ranging from wilderness searches to technical rope-rescues, to disaster searches, to urban searches for Alzheimer patients.

 He has assisted law enforcement on searches for human remains and clandestine graves on major homicide cases. Guy is a founder and Director of the Washington State SAR Planning Unit and has served as Operations Section Chief and Planning Section Chief on some of the largest searches in northwest Washington State. 

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