LANE COUNTY – On Oct. 22 at about 8 p.m., Lane County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue (SAR) responded to a report of an overdue mushroom picker in the McGowan Creek area east of Marcola who had not been heard from for about five hours. They searched until early morning from his last known location. Additional volunteers took over the search in the morning and located the subject at about 10 a.m. They were able to assist him back to his vehicle
On Oct. 23, at about 2 a.m., SAR responded to the area of Big River Road, south of Cottage Grove, for two lost mushroom pickers, one of whom was injured. A family member was in contact with them across a canyon but could not reach them. SAR personnel were able to locate the involved and assisted them back to their vehicles, where medics checked them.
At about 8 p.m., a passerby reported that people were yelling for someone at the Fern Ridge Wildlife Viewing Area west of Eugene. Deputies learned an adult male and a juvenile were overdue from a hike and did not have a phone. SAR responded and located the individual about three hours later.
On Oct. 24 at about 3 a.m., SAR responded to assist a female who had been left on the side of a road by her camping partner in the area of Big Creek Road, north of Minerva. Volunteers located the female two and a half hours later and transported her to Florence.
SAR continues to search for Jean Fritz Pierre Louis, 76, of Oakridge, who went missing early last week in the Salmon Creek area east of Oakridge. Sarchers rappelled into areas difficult to reach safely on foot and continued searching dense-vegetation areas.
