Hours after a volunteer rescue team recovered the bodies of two Portland men who died on Christmas while searching for Sasquatch, the team discovered nearly all of their non-profit organization's life-saving equipment had been stolen.
The theft occurred on the final night of the three-day mission, during which exhausted volunteers were resting at home. Thieves reportedly cut through a 10-foot barbed wire fence to access the Skamania County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (SAR) storage yard, breaking into trailers and stealing critical equipment, including first responder tools for rope rescue, wilderness medical kits, an AED device, and generators.
"This isn't just gear — it's what ensures we can bring people home from life-threatening situations," the SAR team said in a statement. "Without it, we may not be able to respond to the next emergency."
The Skamania County SAR team, which operates independently as a nonprofit, relies solely on donations to maintain operations. The group has launched fundraising efforts via GoFundMe and Facebook to replace the stolen supplies.
"To have this happen to them after they spent Christmas out in the field searching for people and returning their loved ones — it is disgusting to me," Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheyer told KOIN.
Anyone with information about the theft is encouraged to contact the Skamania County Sheriff's Office.
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