Kittitas County Search and Rescue ORV Team

09/20/2026

09/20/2026

09/01/2026

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MISSING EASTON MAN FOUND SAFE AFTER SIDE-BY-SIDE ROLLOVER

At about 7:15 p.m. Friday, August 28, an Easton-area family called Kittcom to report that an older man with medical conditions had driven his side-by-side into Easton several hours earlier and had not returned. He did not have a phone with him. His family had searched without success and was growing worried.

Deputies immediately began looking for people or cameras that might have seen him. They learned that a traffic-monitoring camera had recorded his side-by-side traveling east on Sparks Road at about 4 p.m. That critical lead helped direct the search, but deputies, family members, and a small hasty team of Kittitas County Search and Rescue volunteers were unable to find him that night.

At daylight, a larger KCSR team joined the search. Volunteers narrowed the search area after contacting firefighters who had seen the side-by-side heading up Easton Ridge beyond a wildfire road closure the previous day.

A short time later, the man’s family found him. He had driven up a steep and difficult trail on Easton Ridge, rolled the side-by-side off the trail, and spent the night trapped inside its cab. In the morning, he broke out the rear window, crawled back up to the trail, and waited there, calling for help.

Thankfully, his son was close enough to hear him.

His family took him to KVH for evaluation and care. Despite the rollover and a night spent trapped in the vehicle, he suffered no serious injuries.

Thank you to the family members, deputies, firefighters, dispatchers, and Kittitas County Search and Rescue volunteers whose persistence helped bring this potentially critical incident to a safe conclusion.

06/15/2026

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**ARMY AIR AMBULANCE ASSISTS IN MEDICAL MOUNTAIN RESCUE**

At about 6:15 p.m. yesterday evening, a hiker in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area near Pete Lake used a Garmin InReach device to send an emergency message that his hiking partner was in trouble. Kittcom notified the Sheriff’s Office, and responding deputies called on Kittitas County Search & Rescue.

A KCSR ground team, including Emergency Medical Technicians, quickly mobilized and hiked in to find and help the men. One of the hikers was suffering from critical heat stroke.

The Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the U.S. Army Air Ambulance Detachment "Yakima Dustoff". They launched a night flight and arrived at about 1:30 a.m. to hoist the man out and deliver him to life-saving medical care.

The dedicated volunteers of Kittitas County Search & Rescue and the skilled pilots and crew of Yakima Dustoff are great resources for our county and have saved many lives, as they likely did again last night.

This incident is also a good reminder as summer conditions arrive in the Cascades. These hikers were experienced, fit, and equipped well enough to call for help when the situation became dangerous. But heat illness can develop quickly, even among capable and well-prepared people. High-country travel can feel cooler than the lowlands, but steep terrain, sun exposure, exertion, limited shade, and long distances from help can combine quickly. Once serious heat illness begins, self-rescue may no longer be possible.

As summer hiking season begins, please plan for heat as carefully as you plan for distance, terrain, and weather. Carry more water than you expect to need, replace electrolytes, start early when possible, watch your partners for signs of heat illness, and turn around before symptoms become severe. A satellite emergency device, like the one used in this rescue, can also make a critical difference when cell service is unavailable.

We’re grateful to Kittitas County Search & Rescue, Yakima Dustoff, Kittcom, and all involved in bringing this hiker safely to medical care.

05/16/2026

03/18/2026

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02/04/2026

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In observance of National Missing Persons Day, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office remembers the missing and the families who continue to live with unanswered questions. These are our open missing persons cases.

If you have information—no matter how small—please contact us at 509-962-7525.

• Susan M. Cooke (Kent) — Missing since 6/6/1984; reportedly fell into the Yakima River while rafting.

• Darrell S. Graham (Cle Elum) — Missing since 7/19/1997 after a boating incident on Lake Kachess.

• Richard L. “Cody” Haynes (Kittitas) — Reported missing from his family home on the night of 9/11/2004.

• Gregory S. Brown (North Bend) — Last seen at the Lake Rachel trailhead on 7/5/2005.

• Ian P. Eckles (Kent) — Did not arrive for a planned turkey hunt in the Liberty area on 5/17/2020; reported missing the next day.

• William Charles Martin (Redmond) — Reported missing on 9/25/2024. His vehicle was located the next day in the Colockum Wilderness.

To help keep missing persons cases in the public eye, please consider sharing this post. Those who wish to honor and help the missing and their families can also support organizations such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and/or support local search and rescue. Kittitas County Search & Rescue is a critical partner in our searches.

Comments are turned off for this post to protect families’ privacy. If you have information, please call 509-962-7525.

01/11/2026

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MEDIA RELEASE: AVALANCHE NEAR LONGS PASS CLAIMS TWO LIVES, TWO RESCUED
On Friday, January 9, at about 4:00 p.m., four men recreating in the backcountry snow near Longs Pass in the mountains of northern Kittitas County were caught in an avalanche. Two men—Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend, and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass—were killed.

Two survivors, Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie, were able to send a distress call using a Garmin satellite device. Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Kittitas County Search & Rescue (KCSR) volunteers responded.

Responders reached the remote area using snowmobiles and winter backcountry equipment and transported the two survivors out that evening. Due to hazardous conditions, a nighttime recovery operation for the deceased was not conducted.

On Saturday morning, January 10, teams returned with three trained avalanche search K9s. Because of the rugged, remote terrain, air support was requested. King County’s Guardian 2 helicopter assisted by airlifting the two deceased men to a search base, where they were placed in the care of the Kittitas County Coroner’s Office.

The ground team also recovered the men’s personal effects, including the two snowmobiles used by the party. Representatives of the Northwest Avalanche Center came to the scene to assist in analyzing the accident.

The Sheriff’s Office and KCSR extend condolences to the families and friends of those lost.

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12/15/2025

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12/12/2025

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Around 9 PM on Tuesday night, Kittitas County Search & Rescue responded to a call from a stranded hunter in the Wh***ey Dick area. Despite the heavy fog, and muddy roads, KCSR teams navigated the terrain and got the hunter and 2 dogs safely out.