After seven days of searching, the decision has been made to suspend the active search for missing hiker Riley Zickel. Mr. Zickel went missing after entering the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area Wednesday, July 27th. Mr. Zickel departed from Breitenbush Lake Road at the Pacific Crest Trail head where he intended to hike for one day and return the following day to visit friends in Seattle. Mr. Zickel was last seen on the Pacific Crest Trail just north of Jefferson Park where he visited with another hiker along the trail.
The decision to suspend the active search was made after exhausting all available leads. Mr. Zickel's family members were present at the Command Post throughout the search and have been made aware of the decision to suspend the search.
Over 340 searchers dedicated approximately 5000 hours to search 350 square miles of the Willamette National Forest north and south of Mt. Jefferson. The main focus of the search was the area between Mt. Jefferson, Jefferson Park, Park Butte and the surrounding areas. The area is heavily forested and has many ridges and valleys. Areas of snow complicated the search and, in spite of the snow, daytime temperatures occasionally reached 90 degrees. The elevation of the search area varied from 5000-7500' above sea level.
The Incident Commander, Sergeant Shane Burnham, directed the Marion County Search and Rescue Teams (SAR) and support personnel throughout the duration of the search. Our teams were backed up by SAR teams from Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Lane County Sheriff's Office, Linn County Sheriff's Office, Polk County Sheriff's Office, Benton County Sheriff's Office, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Pacific NW SAR, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Corvallis Mountain Rescue, Mountain Wave, Warm Springs Police, Fire and Fish and Game, United States Forrest Service, the Portland Police Bureau, Detroit and Idanaha Fire District and the Oregon State Parks Department. The Sheriff's Office would like to thank the citizens and business owners in the city of Detroit for their support during this very difficult search.
Salem based helicopters from the Oregon Army National Guard and Cessna 182 aircraft from the Civil Air Patrol flew daily above the search area, but were unable to spot any sign of Mr. Zickel. Hundreds of hikers were contacted during the search and missing person flyers were posted at trail heads along the Pacific Crest Trail as far south as Big Lake Youth Camp and north to Timberline Lodge.
Marion County Sheriff Jason Myers commented, "It is a very difficult decision to withdraw resources from this search. Our SAR teams and staff worked tirelessly to find Mr. Zickel. We're very grateful for the assistance provided by our public safety partners, and our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Zickel's family".
The search for Mr. Zickel will remain open until he is found. We will respond to any new information regarding his whereabouts. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact our tip line at 503-584-SRCH or
503-584-7724.
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Today 30 searchers checked north and south of the Mt. Jefferson wilderness area and still have not located Riley Zickel. A large effort is planned for tomorrow with some 60 plus searchers that will be covering areas surrounding Russel Lake and north and south of the park along the Pacific Coast Trail.
Searchers will be utilizing K9's, air assets, horses and vehicles in their attempt to locate Mr. Zickel. We are asking that if you have seen Riley Zickel or anything that seemed out of place while hiking in the area please call 503-584-SRCH or
503-584-7724. This story will be updated as soon as additional information is available.
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Tonight deputies were contacted by a hiker who saw the widely spread image of a man standing next to a tent at Sprague Lake on the news. The man confirmed for deputies that the picture was of him and not the missing hiker Riley Zickel.
The Sheriff's Office and its Search and Rescue partners have wrapped up the search activities for today, Wednesday August 3rd. 40 searchers will set out tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., focusing north and south along the Pacific Coast Trail. The Sheriff's Office would like to thank all of the volunteers that have been searching the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness since Sunday. We are asking that if you have seen Riley Zickel please call 503-584-SRCH or
503-584-7724. This story will be updated as soon as additional information is available.
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The Sheriff's Office and its Search and Rescue partners are wrapping up the search activities for today, Tuesday August 2nd. Attached to the release are pictures of similar items being worn and used by Riley Zickel.
We are asking that if you have seen any signs of Riley Zickel please call 503-584-SRCH or
503-584-7724. The Sheriff's Office will resume their search tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., we would like to thank the all of the volunteers that have been searching the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness sine Sunday. This story will be updated as soon as additional information is available.
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This morning at 7:00 a.m., 30 searchers resumed their efforts in the Willamette National Forrest near Mt. Jefferson. Searchers have completed checking the Mt. Jefferson area and have now moved north toward Park Butte and the Pacific Crest Trail.
Searchers are working on foot, horseback and by air in an attempt to locate Riley. Deputies still have no recent positive sightings of Riley Zickel and are asking anyone who may have seen Riley please call our tip line at 503-584-SRCH.
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The Sheriff's Office and its Search and Rescue partners are wrapping up the search activities for today, Monday August 1st. Deputies and searchers have had contact with numerous hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail but have still not been able to locate an exact area Riley Zickel was last seen.
The Sheriff's Office will resume their search tomorrow morning at 7 a.m., we would like to thank the all of the volunteers that have been searching the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness sine Sunday. We are asking that if you have seen Riley Zickel please call 503-584-SRCH or
503-584-7724. This story will be updated as soon as additional information is available.
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The Sheriff's Office has set up a tip line for anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mr. Zickel. If you were in the Jefferson Wilderness and had contact with or saw Mr. Zickel please call
503-584-7724 or 503-584-SRCH. The Sheriff's Office has spoken with Mr. Zickel's family and they are currently declining any media interviews.
This release will be updated periodically as information becomes available.
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Searchers are continuing the efforts to locate Riley Zickel, age 21, of Portland who has been missing since last Wednesday. Mr. Zickel is believed to have entered the Jefferson Wilderness with the intent to explore the park and possibly summit Mt. Jefferson. Mr. Zickel told family he intended to exit the park Thursday to meet friends for another hike in the Seattle area. Mr. Zickel is believed to be carrying a cell phone but attempts to locate or "ping" the phone have been unsuccessful, searchers believe the phone may be turned off.
Currently there are 34 searchers and a K9 on the ground scouring the area for Mr. Zickel, agencies assisting in the search are Lane County Sheriff's Office, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Benton County Sheriff's Office, Crook County Sheriff's Office, Mountain Wave Radio, Corvallis Mountain Rescue, US Forest Service, Army National Guard and the Civil Air Patrol.
Recap:
Mr. Zickel entered the park Wednesday morning 07/27/2016.
MCSO was contacted by family 07/30/2016 notifying Mr. Zickel was missing.
07/30/2016 at 6:30 p.m., Deputies located Mr. Zickel's vehicle on a trail head that enters Jefferson Park.
07/31/2016 a massive search effort was launched putting some 45 searchers into the park attempting to locate Mr. Zickel.
08/01/2016 34 searchers and K9 on the ground searching the park focusing on Mt. Jefferson and the surrounding park areas.
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Searchers have discontinued their search efforts, in the Jefferson wilderness, for the night due to darkness. They will resume searching tomorrow morning first thing for Mr. Zickel who is overdue from hiking in the area.
Briefing is at 0700 and the staging area for media will be in the gravel parking lot on the southeast corner of Detroit Ave and Forrest Ave, in Detroit across from Korners Restaurant. Additional resources are being brought in to help with search efforts tomorrow. They are, civil air patrol, Lane County Sheriff's Office, and Corvallis mountain rescue.
We have learned Mr. Zickel is a experienced hiker who is reported to have appropriate equipment for this trip and adequate amount of food. It should be noted Mr. Zickel's first name is Riley and not Ryan as previous mentioned.
Anyone with any information about Mr. Zickel is encouraged to call
503-588-5032.
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Marion County Sheriff's Office, Search and Rescue, has launched a search for a 21 year old overdue hiker. His name is Ryan Zickel from the Portland area. Ryan arrived in the Jefferson Wilderness on Wednesday and initially planned on staying one night at Jefferson Park.
Marion County Search and Rescue is being assisted by Linn County Sheriff's Office, Polk County Sheriff's Office, United State Forest Service, and the Air National Guard. We have search parties on the ground, via Posse and Air.
Attached is a photograph of Ryan, which is from when he was younger. We are told Ryan still looks very much like this picture.
