Missing Roseburg Man Found on Hillside After Search Team Discovers His Bag

ROSEBURG, Ore. - A bag found on a neighboring property helped searchers locate a missing 73-year-old Roseburg man Friday evening, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

A sheriff’s office drone operator spotted the man on a hillside shortly after Search and Rescue volunteers discovered the bag. Ground crews reached him and helped him to safety.

Deputies began investigating around 2:10 p.m. October 9 after responding to a home in the 2800 block of SE Booth Avenue. The man’s wife reported that she had last seen her husband Wednesday evening, October 7. She told deputies he has dementia and limited mobility.

An initial search of the property did not turn up the man. Concerned about his health and ability to get around, deputies called in Douglas County Search and Rescue volunteers. A Douglas Alerts notification also went out to residents within a mile of the home, sharing his description and notifying neighbors of the search.

At about 6:02 p.m., a ground search team found a packed bag on a neighboring property. After the man’s wife confirmed it belonged to him, searchers passed the location to the drone operator, who concentrated on the surrounding terrain.

Eight minutes later, at about 6:10 p.m., the operator located the man.

Deputies determined he had fallen down a steep, dry, grassy slope with an estimated incline of 35 to 45 degrees. The sheriff’s office said he had spent a night outdoors before being found.

Ambulance personnel evaluated him at the scene, but he declined further medical assistance. He was then escorted home and reunited with his wife and daughter.

The sheriff’s office thanked Search and Rescue volunteers, emergency medical personnel, and others who assisted in finding him.