On September 3rd, 2019, Marion County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue coordinated the recovery of a hiker who had been reported as missing since July 30th, 2016. The hiker, Riley Zickel, was originally reported as missing after not returning from the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area following what was intended to be an overnight hike.
Search and Rescue teams from the Sheriff’s Office and multiple other agencies spent 7 days searching for Mr. Zickel before search efforts were suspended on August 6th, 2016. During those 7 days, more than 340 people covered over 350 square miles in the Willamette National Forest around Mount Jefferson. In total, approximately 5,000 hours were dedicated to search efforts to locate Mr. Zickel. Riley Zickel was 21-years-old when he was originally reported as missing.
Approximately 3 weeks ago the Marion County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by climbers who believed they had located the body of Mr. Zickel in a glacial area above Jefferson Park on Mt. Jefferson. The area where he was located is extremely steep with loose rocks and rock avalanches, making this an extremely challenging recovery effort. Marion County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue partnered with Corvallis Mountain Rescue, the Civil Air Patrol, and the United States Forest Service to plan the today’s recovery mission.
The missing hiker’s father, Robin Zickel, traveled to Oregon from California to be present for the recovery mission. Robin Zickel was at the trailhead when searchers brought his son out of the Jefferson Wilderness Area.
Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast stated, “We are grateful to the many organizations that helped make today’s recovery of Mr. Zickel possible. Without their contributions, we would not have been able to bring closure to the Zickel family after these three long years.”
************************************************************
Original news release from August 6th, 2016:
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.