A search team from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has found the father who went missing overnight Sunday with his 13-year-old son on a snowmobile outing from Edison Snopark.
The father was located by a search around 2 p.m. today; the son about 40 minutes earlier, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Everybody is in good shape," Sheriff Larry Blanton said.
Searchers found the son, Chase Hunter Abney, 13, about 5 miles south of Elk Lake; the father, Eric William Abney, 40, who had set out on foot at 12:50 p.m. searching for a route out of the forest, was found about a mile south of the lake.
The pair stayed in a snow cave overnight. The son is in fair condition; the father is fine, but said he’s thirsty and hungry.
Family members called 911 just before 7 a.m. today to report the Abneys missing. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the father and son were dressed adequately for the winter weather and had food and water with them when they left on Sunday.
Sheriff’s deputies found Abney’s vehicle and snowmobile trailer at Edison snopark after 7 a.m. today, and search and rescue personnel started to mobilize at the park. Thirty search and rescue volunteers and 10 Sheriff’s Office employees are currently involved in the search, and the Sheriff’s Office is calling in resources from other agencies to help.
The Bulletin will update the story in print and online.