A 69-year-old man was found Sunday afternoon in Oregon‘s Umpqua National Forest after he was reported missing for 17 nights.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Harry Burleigh’s wife reported him missing on May 7 after he did not return from a fishing trip to Twin Lakes the day before, and search and rescue crews sifted through the forest in search of Burleigh, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
On May 8, his vehicle was discovered at the trailhead, but authorities couldn’t locate him until May 16, when they discovered a makeshift shelter that was near a tackle box belonging to Burleigh in the Calf Creek area. Burleigh was still nowhere to be found, the report continued.
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Search crews remained in the Calf Creek area for another week, until Sunday, when a team from Jackson County Search and Rescue found another shelter southwest of the first one crews discovered a week before. When the team called out for Burleigh, he responded. Crews found Burleigh walking and complaining about minor pain but in stable condition, the sheriff’s office added.
A Brim Aviation helicopter lifted Burleigh from the spot, and a Life Flight helicopter later took him to a local medical facility for evaluation.
“This was the outcome we all have been looking for in this case. It is because of our determined Search and Rescue teams and the partnerships we have with other SAR teams from around the state that Mr. Burleigh has been reunited with his family this evening,” Sgt. Brad O’Dell, from the sheriff’s office, said.
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The sheriff’s office was assisted by 16 other entities in the rescue mission.
Representatives for the office did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
