A 52-year-old mountain biker, Ralph Sawyer, was reported missing in Oregon after not returning home from a biking trip in Mount Hood, according to authorities. The incident triggered a search and rescue mission as officials scrambled to locate the missing individual.
Sawyer was last seen on Friday around 10:30 p.m., two hours after he was expected to return home from a biking trip he had started that morning. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release confirming his disappearance, highlighting that he had a long history of mountain biking in the area and was familiar with the terrain. His bike, specifically designed for gravel roads, was also noted in the release.
Although Sawyer had not been located as of Monday, officials reported that his car, a blue Kia Soul, was found shortly after midnight on Saturday with his cell phone inside. The search for Sawyer has been focused on areas around East Still Creed Road, Veda Lake, Kinzel Lake, and the U.S. Forest Service roads near Trillium Lake, approximately 40 miles southeast of Portland.
Officials emphasized that the search efforts were extensive, with nearly 40 searchers involved on Saturday and 70 mobilized on Sunday, covering hundreds of miles by ground and on vehicles, including ATVs and motorbikes. Technical rope teams were deployed to navigate steep terrain while drones and a helicopter from the Oregon National Guard searched from the air. Additional search teams, including an Air Force Reserve Command combat search and rescue unit and K9 units, were deployed on Monday as the search continued.