Covering coastal Douglas County:
A missing mushroom hunter was located on Friday.
Sergeant Brad O’Dell of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday morning at approximately 11:00 a.m., DCSO was contacted regarding an individual who had gone mushroom picking in the Elliot State Forest off of Elk Ridge Road near Loon Lake on Wednesday and had become lost.
O’Dell said the man was identified as 65-year old Juan Pitcher of Reedsport.
Deputies began to search the area along with Search and Rescue crews. O’Dell said the terrain was very steep and rocky with thick brush and heavy timber. Searchers kept looking until nightfall on Thursday without finding any sign of Pitcher.
The search resumed Friday morning. At around 12:00 p.m., crews began hearing a voice response from a man which came from deep within a canyon. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., searchers located the missing man, who was in poor condition.
O’Dell said at the request of DCSO, the Oregon State Search and Rescue coordinator arranged for the U.S. Coast Guard to fly into the area and extract Pitcher out of the difficult terrain. He was then transported to Bay Area Hospital for treatment.
DCSO was assisted by Search and Rescue crews from Josephine, Coos, Curry and Del Norte, California counties.