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UPDATE (Wednesday, May 3): Search suspended for missing 78-year-old
Additional photo: Briefing for search crews
On Monday, May 1, 2023, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office made the tough decision to suspend the search for missing 78-year-old Carroll Donald Parkins, 78, of Colton.
The search was active from Sunday, April 23 through Sunday, April 30.
An average of 47 volunteers per day put in approximately 3,100 personnel hours over an eight-day period searching the wilderness next to the Molalla River, near where Parkins' truck was found on Molalla Forest Road. The search area had minimal to nonexistent cell service and incorporated steep terrain, some of it damaged by the 2020 wildfires. Searchers were unable to locate any signs or evidence of Mr. Parkins.
The Sheriff's Office continues to seek tips in Parkins' disappearance. Anyone who has heard from or seen Parkins since Saturday, April 22 is urged to contact our Tip Line by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online form. Please reference CCSO Case # 23-008383.
The Sheriff's Office would like to thank the following teams and agencies for their assistance in the search effort:
- Clackamas County Search and Rescue (CSAR) volunteers
- Portland Mountain Rescue
- Mountain Wave Emergency Communications
- Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue
- Crag Rats
- Clackamas River Outfitters
- Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office SAR
- Washington County SAR cadets
- Civil Air Patrol
- Oregon Department of Emergency Management
[END UPDATE]
Brian McCall, Public Information Officer
Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
sheriffpio@clackamas.us
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EARLIER (Wednesday, April 26, 2023): Sheriff's Office searching for missing 78-year-old man in Molalla Forest
Please reference CCSO Case # 23-008383
Photos:
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is currently leading a search-and-rescue mission near Molalla to find a 78-year-old man.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 23, 2023, the Sheriff's Office was contacted by a family member concerned about the whereabouts of Carroll Donald Parkins, 78, of Colton. On the morning of Saturday, April 22, Parkins had left home to go "shed hunting" -- searching for the shed antlers of deer or elk -- in the woods off Molalla Forest Road.
When Parkins failed to return, family members located his truck -- a silver Toyota Tundra -- parked on a gravel pull-out on Molalla Forest Road. The family then contacted the Sheriff’s Office.
A Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue Coordinator deployed to the scene where Parkins' truck was found and activated a search-and-rescue mission. Volunteer teams began arriving in the area around 5 a.m. on Sunday to search the area around the truck, and additional personnel arrived to expand the search throughout the morning.
Teams have continued to search the area daily since Sunday, April 23. Participating searchers currently include:
- Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue volunteer ground searchers and K9 teams
- Mountain Wave Emergency Communications
- Portland Mountain Rescue
- Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue
- Washington County Sheriff’s Office SAR Cadets
- Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office SAR
- Civil Air Patrol
- Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Air Unit
Carroll Donald Parkins is a 78-year-old white male; a photo is linked above. He may be wearing brown boots, blue jeans, a black-and-white plaid hickory shirt, a brown flannel over-shirt, suspenders, a black baseball cap with orange on the bill, or similar outdoor clothing.
TIPS SOUGHT
Anyone who has heard from or seen Parkins since Saturday, April 22 is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency Line at 503-655-8211. The public can also contact our Tip Line by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online form. Please reference CCSO Case # 23-008383.
[END]
Deputy John Wildhaber
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Unit