Two men from Portland died searching for Sasquatch during Christmas week, according to officials.
Around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, Skamania County Communications Center received a report from a family member of two people who were searching for Sasquatch and were missing after they had planned to return home on Dec. 24, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).
A “flock camera,” also known as a license plate reader, located the men’s car off of Oklahoma Road, near Willard, Washington, SCSO said.
Over three days, search and rescue resources, including more than 60 volunteers, canines, drones and ground search teams and a U.S. Coast Guard air asset searched for the men.
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(Skamania County Sheriff’s Office)
“After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, the 59-year-old male and 37-year-old-male, both from Portland, Oregon, who were reported missing/endangered were located, deceased, in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
“Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness,” SCSO added.
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An air asset from the United States Coast Guard, based in Astoria, Oregon, was used to assist in the search for the two men. (Skamania County Sheriff’s Office)
The sheriff’s office thanked the volunteers who spent Christmas week searching for the men through “freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, downfall, and heavily wooded terrain,” allowing the men to be taken home to their family.
“The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident,” SCSO said.
The Portland men who died were only identified by their ages, 59 and 37. (Skamania County Sheriff’s Office)
The men’s names were not released.
Back in 2019, a Travel Channel blog post said Washington was the “world’s most active region” for Sasquatch sightings. Of particular note were the Blue Mountains and Okanogan County, which the Travel Channel wrote is “the locale of one of the most aggressive Bigfoot encounters ever recorded.”
