After more than two weeks of intensive searching, rescue teams recovered a body Sunday afternoon they believe to be that of 51-year-old Devon Dobek, an experienced hunter from Hubbard, Oregon, who disappeared while hunting alone in the Mt. Hood National Forest.
Dobek was last known to be hunting in a remote area approximately 20 miles southeast of Estacada. He was reported missing on the evening of October 31st after he failed to return home as planned. His truck was located at the Fish Creek Trailhead at the intersection of Highway 224 and Forest Service Road 54.
Volunteer Teams | Clackamas County Sheriff
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office launched an immediate large-scale search on November 1st that at its peak involved more than 100 personnel, including deputies, professional search-and-rescue teams, volunteer organizations (Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, Hood River Crag Rats), drone units, K9 teams, and ATV crews. The multi-agency effort logged more than 4,000 personnel hours over the first week.
Despite exhaustive ground, air, and technical searches, no sign of Dobek was found, and the active large-scale search was suspended on November 7.
Limited monitoring continued, and friends and family of Dobek never stopped looking.
That persistence paid off this past weekend. Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, a volunteer searcher, who was described in multiple reports as a close friend or family member who knew Dobek’s hunting habits, spotted a body approximately 900 yards from Dobek’s truck, at the bottom of a steep ledge in extremely difficult terrain. Deteriorating light, high winds, and the hazardous cliff made an immediate recovery impossible, so teams secured the site and suspended operations as night fell.
Rescue teams traverse rugged terrain | Clackamas County Sheriff
Early yesterday morning, technical rescue crews returned with ropes and harnesses. After several hours of challenging extraction work in the steep, fog-prone area, they recovered the body late in the afternoon.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the recovery Sunday evening and stated that, while formal identification is still pending with the Medical Examiner, the body is believed to be that of Devon Dobek. Authorities have found no evidence of foul play; early indications point to a fatal fall, possibly while Dobek was retrieving a deer or navigating the cliff edge.
As of Monday morning, no additional details have been released by the Sheriff’s Office and an autopsy is expected to determine the exact cause and manner of death.
The Sheriff’s Office extended condolences to Dobek’s family and thanked the hundreds of volunteers whose determination ultimately led rescuers to him.
