Coast Guard rescues woman lost for days in Oregon state park amid harsh weather

COOS BAY, Ore. – A 64-year-old woman was rescued Sunday after getting lost in the deep forests of an Oregon state park amid challenging weather.

The woman was found over two days after she got separated from her party as they were foraging in Shore Acres State Park, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Oregon State Police were called for the initial search but forced to seek help from the Coast Guard as daylight quickly began to fade into the night.

A Coast Guard rescue helicopter with a thermal sensing camera searched the area Friday night but was unable to find anyone as weather conditions deteriorated. 

Ground rescue teams resumed the search Saturday, with another Coast Guard aerial search conducted later in the day, but again came up empty.

On Sunday, additional ground teams reached the area and around midday, heard the woman shouting from a remote area, officials said. Search and rescue teams honed in on her voice and bushwhacked their way to her location.

Woman just found after going missing for days in Oregon forest awaits rescue by Coast Guard. 

(FOX Weather)

The woman was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration. Search crews built a fire and placed her in a hypothermia treatment blanket while awaiting rescue.

A Coast Guard helicopter returned to the scene to hoist her on board, where she was eventually brought to a hospital in North Bend.

The woman told rescue crews she had taken shelter under a log due to the harsh weather, which the Coast Guard said likely made her undetectable from their heat signature cameras.

“The Coast Guard and our partner agencies here on the Oregon Coast routinely train together to ensure we can execute coordinated search and rescue missions whenever we’re called upon,” said Cmdr. Jay Kircher, operations officer and one of the helicopter pilots at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend. “It’s fantastic to see this teamwork in action and produce a successful outcome.”