By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Searchers are looking for a 68-year-old Auburn man outside of Packwood who didn’t return home from a Saturday mushroom gathering outing.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office says the man is an experienced mushroom picker but wasn’t equipped to be outdoors for more than a few hours. He was wearing street clothes and had only a small amount of food with him, according to the sheriff’s office.
Personnel looked for the man for about six hours last night after his vehicle was discovered on Forest Service Road 47, approximately five miles northwest of Packwood, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. His family found the vehicle, Brown said.
More than 25 search and rescue personnel set out about 6 o’clock this morning to continue the search, according to Brown. Assisting are teams from Pacific, Grays Harbor, Mason and King counties, according to Brown.
According to Brown, the man’s family called the sheriff’s office on Sunday to report him missing, but was unsure where he was headed and said he could be anywhere between Interstate 90 and Packwood.
An attempt to locate was put out and it wasn’t until late yesterday afternoon that his vehicle was located, according to Brown.
The weather on Saturday and Sunday in the area has included heavy rain and wind, but turned to light rain with temperatures in the 40s, according to Brown. It’s currently 31 degrees in Packwood.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
This man is a great, loving and big hearted man. If anyone would like to help find him please do so. We all hope for him to return home to his wife, kids, grandkids & & even great grand kids! Good luck to everyone searching and thank you all.