However there is nothing mundane about this event. Wind conditions need to be identified and broadcast with bright tape as streamers. Even something such as a stray baseball cap could cause a problem. There are times when one is forced to search, but then continue that search way beyond what common sense might dictate. A car, reportedly stolen and dumped over a cliff, with none of the expected signs of a victim.
Common sense says there is no victim.
However, you search, and the more you might suspect that there may be no victim, the harder you search. The situation is only nothing if you say so, and hence remove rescue personnel from the scene. Finding nothing, and missing something that unexpected is inconceivable.