A mushroom picker helped authorities find a missing 88-year-old man’s body in Oregon, police said.
The mushroom picker discovered an unoccupied vehicle at about 12:35 p.m. Oct. 18, about 30 miles east of Oregon Route 228, the Lebanon Police Department said in a Facebook post.
This person gave police the vehicle’s license plate number, and it belonged to Donald “Don” Carroll, authorities said.
Carroll vanished Oct. 4 after leaving his home in the early morning, police said. His family said he had dementia, and they were worried about his safety.
He was last seen on Highway 20 near the Walmart in Lebanon, and a GPS tracker last pinged him near Crawfordsville, police said.
Police, deputies and search and rescue teams from the sheriff’s office responded.
A drone was used to search the area and found Carroll’s body in a “steep, wooded, rocky canyon,” about 200 feet below the road from where his car was found, police said.
His body was recovered from the area and taken to a funeral home, police said.
“Our family is deeply saddened by this loss but comforted knowing he has been found and is at peace. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers, and help from friends, family, and the community during this difficult time,” his family said in a statement shared by Alexa Moseley on Facebook.
Carroll was a former football coach and teacher in Lebanon.
Lebanon is about a 35-mile drive southeast from Salem.
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