Search planned this weekend for missing Ada County woman in Oregon’s Blue Mountains
Authorities in Oregon and Idaho say they will search on Saturday and Sunday for a Star woman reported missing in January.
Deborah Hendrichs, 56, was reported missing in Ada County in January. Her car was found abandoned along Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon after she was reported missing, according to a news release from the Umatilla County, Oregon, Sheriff’s Office.
The operation will begin about 8 a.m. Saturday near Meacham, a hamlet in Oregon’s Blue Mountains, and will include multiple agencies and dozens of search personnel. The search will focus on land near where her car was found, including nearby wooded areas, roads, bridges and bodies of water.
“The objective of this search is to locate any possible remains of Deb Hendrichs or any items she may have had on her person at the time of her disappearance,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the news release.
Hendrichs was reported missing after she was last seen leaving her home on Jan. 11. Her vehicle was found abandoned days later on Jan. 14 near Meacham, according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
Oregon officials want the public to stay out of the area during the weekend search, aside from residents of that area. Hunters with spring turkey or bear tags are asked to be aware of the search and hunt in another location on those days. Drones will fly overhead as part of the search.
Searchers will not concentrate on occupied homes during the operation, however if a home appears to be vacant through the winter or looks broken into, police will notify the landowner. This will be done in case Hendrichs entered a residence or building while she looked for help.
Depending on results, the search may stretch into Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The search party will include roughly 90 people from agencies, including K-9 units and ground search teams. Agencies include Valley County, Idaho, Search and Rescue, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oregon State Police.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 1:05 PM.
