Spokane County Search & Rescue

Spokane County Search & Rescue Spokane County Search & Rescue (SCSAR) is a volunteer organization in partnership with Spokane County.

We're funded entirely through donations and do not charge for any rescue services provided. Spokane County Search & Rescue (SCSAR) works as a volunteer extension of the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

07/19/2026

from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Missing Person, Lynn M. Chamberlain, Believed Located

Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) Volunteers and Deputies have continued their efforts to locate 74-year-old Lynn Chamberlain in the surrounding rural area where she was reported missing.

This morning, July 18, 2026, they located a deceased female while searching the large, undeveloped land southwest of Bear Lake, who is unfortunately believed to be Chamberlain.

As is standard protocol, Major Crimes Detectives responded to continue the investigation as a tragic unattended death.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office, when appropriate and once positive identification is confirmed, will release the decedent’s name, along with cause and manner of death.

No further information is available at this time.

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Previous Information Released on July 14, 2026:

Welfare Check/Vulnerable Adult: Lynn M. Chamberlain. Attention: North Spokane County, southeast of Deer Park

Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies are attempting to locate and check the welfare of 74-year-old Lynn Chamberlain and are asking for the public’s help.

A family member of Lynn Chamberlain reported her missing and requested that her welfare be checked.

On July 13, 2026, at approximately 6:30 pm, Lynn M. Chamberlain left her residence, near E. Saltz Lane and N. Perry Road in North Spokane County, southeast of Deer Park, to go for a walk and has not returned.

Deputies searched the area, including using a UAS (drone), but were unable to locate Chamberlain.

Lynn Chamberlain has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and it is possible she may not be able to find her way home.

Lynn Chamberlain is described as a 74-year-old White female, approximately 5’07”, 160 pounds, with grayish/brown eyes and gray hair. She was last seen wearing long blue pajama-type pants and a white sports bra.

All efforts to locate Lynn Chamberlain have been unsuccessful thus far, and your help is requested.

If you have seen Lynn M. Chamberlain or know her whereabouts, please call Crime Check at 509-456-2233 and reference #10097487.



Corporal Mark Gregory
Spokane County Sheriff's Office
Spokane Valley Police Department
Public Information Officer

07/08/2026

Why “Bill Them” Isn’t the Answer
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“They should be charged.”
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“They were stupid.”
“They were negligent.”
“Send them the bill.”
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We hear some version of this after almost every rescue, and it deserves a conversation.
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Search and Rescue in British Columbia does not charge people for rescue—and there are some very important reasons why.
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First, people in genuine distress need to call for help early, without first calculating whether they can afford it.
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As soon as money is involved, things get complicated. We have seen people visiting from the United States run from rescuers and try to hide in the bushes because they believed they would be charged for the rescue.
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That serves no one. It puts the subject in greater danger and makes the rescue more difficult.
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Second, Search and Rescue is treated as a public-safety service.
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We generally do not send someone a bill when firefighters respond to a house fire because they left a pan on the stove. We do not invoice someone for a car crash because they made a driving error.
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The same principle applies to SAR.
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Third, encouraging people to call early ultimately protects rescuers.
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Delayed calls frequently mean night operations, worsening weather, larger search areas and more complex terrain. All of these increase the exposure and risk to SAR members.
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The person who calls early is usually easier—and safer—to rescue than the person who waits until they have no other choice.
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Finally, it is almost impossible to fairly decide who “deserves” a bill.
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Was someone reckless? Inexperienced? Unlucky? Did they receive a bad forecast? Suffer an unexpected injury? Make a simple human error?
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Experienced mountaineers have accidents too.
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Creating a system to investigate, assign blame and potentially litigate responsibility after every rescue would be enormously complicated—and would itself cost money.
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None of this means SAR believes people have no responsibility.
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Our approach is to separate rescue from blame:
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Rescue first. Educate and prevent afterward.
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SAR volunteers spend hundreds of hours speaking at schools, hiking and mountaineering clubs, giving public presentations, sharing lessons from rescues, and encouraging people to use resources such as AdventureSmart.
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We would much rather help people make better decisions before their next trip than make them afraid to call us when something has already gone wrong.
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So yes, sometimes people make poor decisions. Sometimes people are underprepared. Sometimes people make mistakes.
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But when someone is in genuine distress, we want them to call.
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Call early. Call before the situation gets worse. Let us come and help.

Spokane County Search & Rescue recently had a team mock search exercise at Riverside State Park.
05/30/2026

Spokane County Search & Rescue recently had a team mock search exercise at Riverside State Park.

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1100 W Mallon Avenue
Spokane, WA
99210

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