After 4,000 Volunteer Hours, Body Believed to Be Devon Dobek Recovered in Mount Hood Forest

A body retrieved from remote terrain in the Mount Hood National Forest yesterday is believed to be that of missing hunter, Devon Dobek.

The remains were spotted by Dobek’s family, friends, and community members who had continued to search for him after the official search was abandoned.

Body Spotted in Difficult Terrain Near the Fish Creek Trailhead

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office was notified on Saturday afternoon about a body spotted in a remote and difficult-to-reach location near the Fish Creek Trailhead. Search and Rescue Coordinators and volunteers immediately responded and arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.

A specially trained rope team attempted to reach and recover the body, but the location required a river crossing over several hundred feet of nearly vertical cliff face.

The search was abandoned at nightfall until Sunday morning, when rescuers began a second attempt to reach the area by rappelling from the top of the ridge. The rescue teams were deployed from two locations – the Fish Creek Campground and a location off the NF-45 Road.

A deputy, three officers from the U.S. Forest Service, and several volunteers worked for 10 hours to clear a roadway of fallen trees, giving vehicles access to a washed-out area of road.

The rope teams and a deputy reached the body at 1 p.m. While the remains are believed to be those of missing hunter, Devon Dobek, the official identification can only be made by the Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The body was found about 900 yards from where Dobek parked his truck near the Fish Creek campground. Rescuers believe that the hunter fell from a ledge.

Dobek was reported missing on October 31 after failing to return home from a hunting trip to the Mount Hood National Forest.

After a week-long intensive search, involving more than 4,000 volunteer hours, the official operation was suspended on November 7. However, family, friends, and community members continued to look for Dobek.

The operation was conducted by Clackamas County Search and Rescue volunteers, Portland Mountain Rescue, Hood River Crag Rats, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, and the U.S. Forest Service.