NEED TO KNOW
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Devon Dobek was reported missing on Oct. 31 after he failed to return home from his hunting trip in Mount Hood National Forest
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After a week, the Clackamas County Sherif’s Office said they were halting major search and rescue efforts, but that “additional searches may resume if new information or evidence is discovered”
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“Our thoughts remain with Devon’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” said the sheriff’s office
Authorities in Oregon have suspended large-scale search and rescue efforts for an experienced hunter who went missing in Mount Hood National Forest.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement a week after beginning the search for Devon Dobek, 51, describing the decision as “difficult.”
“The large-scale search efforts were active from Friday, October 31, through Friday, November 7,” the sheriff’s office said. “Additional searches may resume if new information or evidence is discovered.”
The sheriff’s office said that the weeklong search involved over 4,000 personnel hours by volunteers looking in the area where the hunter’s truck was discovered near the Fish Creek Trailhead. Among the resources employed included ground teams, helicopters, drones, airplanes, K-9 units and ATVs.
“The search area had minimal to no cell service and included steep terrain, some of it damaged by the 2020 wildfires,” officials added.
Dobek, of Hubbard, Oregon, was reported missing on Oct. 31 after he failed to return home from his hunting trip in the forest.
“The missing hunter, 51-year-old Devon Dobek of Hubbard, was due to return from his hunting trip late Friday night but had messaged a friend that he was returning early after getting a deer,” officials wrote.
“Deputies located Mr. Dobek’s truck near the Fish Creek Trailhead, off SE Hwy 224 and 54 Rd., but there was no sign of a deer or of Mr. Dobek, whom friends describe as an experienced hunter equipped with appropriate gear,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Later that evening, searchers began scouring the area. Gunshots presumed to be from Dobek were heard at one point, but searchers could not determine the location of where they were fired from.
An online fundraiser created to help in the search efforts has generated over $10,000 as of Tuesday, Nov. 11.
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Those with information about Dobek’s disappearance can contact authorities at 503-723-4949 or share a tip online via the “Submit A Tip” form on the sheriff’s office website.
“Our thoughts remain with Devon’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” officials wrote.
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