The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office likely will be continuing search operations today for an 87-year-old woman reported missing in the Sawtooth Berry Fields near Trout Lake.
More than 60 ground searchers from around the region participated in Saturday’s effort, as well as vehicles and dog teams, Sheriff Dave Brown said in a news release.
The missing woman, Wasco Fujiwara, is a resident of The Dalles, Ore.; she suffers from early stage dementia.
Brown said in the news release that if the search was unsuccessful on Saturday, the effort would resume today.
Family and friends were assisting in the efforts Saturday, Brown said. There are a large number of forest users and berry pickers in the area as well. The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who may have information about the missing woman to contact them at 509-427-9490.
Approximately 14 searchers and two dog teams along with a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter searched the area throughout the day on Friday.
The sheriff’s dispatch center received a call at about 3 p.m. on Thursday from 57-year-old Lisa Fujiwara, of Bend, Ore. Fujiwara said that her 87-year-old mother was missing after the two were picking huckleberries in the Sawtooth Berry Fields.
Lisa Fujiwara last saw her mother at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday near the Forest Road 24 summit at Surprise Lakes. Then the two women became separated.
