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CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. - Authorities in Oregon believe they have recovered the remains of Devon Dobek, a 51-year-old hunter who went missing in the Mount Hood National Forest on Oct. 31.
Missing hunter Devon Dobek. (Clackamas County Sheriff's Office)
Timeline:
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said it was notified Saturday afternoon that a body had been spotted in a difficult-to-reach area near the Fish Creek Trailhead. Authorities said community members, friends and family members were searching the area when they saw what appeared to be a body at the base of a cliff.
A specially trained rope team with the sheriff's office responded at around 4:30 p.m. to recover the body. The mission required a river crossing and traversing several hundred yards, and after losing daylight, crews had to hold off until the next morning.
On Sunday, Nov. 16, crews conducted a second attempt to reach the area, with teams deployed from the Fish Creek Campground and from an area off NF-45 Road.
There were several downed trees on the evacuation route, so for about 10 hours, crews from multiple agencies worked to clear the roadway to get vehicles into a washed-out section of the road.
Rope teams reached the body by around 1 p.m. and spent several hours carrying the remains through rough terrain to reach the roadway.
According to the sheriff's office, the remains are believed to be Devon Dobek, but official identification will come from the Clackamas County Medical Examiner's Office.
What they're saying:
"We would like to thank our Clackamas County Search and Rescue volunteers, Portland Mountain Rescue, Hood River Crag Rats, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, and the U.S. Forest Service for their assistance in today’s mission," the CCSO wrote in a press release.
By the numbers:
The sheriff’s office said the effort to locate Devon Dobek was made possible with help from the following agencies:
- Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers
- Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue
- Portland Mountain Rescue
- Mountain Wave Emergency Communications
- Hood River Crag Rats
- Mary’s Peak SAR (Benton County)
- Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
- Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
- Hood River County Sheriff’s Office
- Marion County Sheriff’s Office
- Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office
- Polk County Sheriff’s Office
- Washington County Sheriff’s Office
- Lake Oswego Police Department
- Oregon Office of Emergency Management (State SAR Coordinator Scott Lucas)
- 304th Rescue Squadron (PJs)
- Oregon Army National Guard
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- U.S. Forest Service
The Source: Information in this story comes from multiple press releases by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
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