Missing man found in Columbia River Gorge ravine

A Portland man who went missing in Skamania County over the summer was recently found dead in a ravine in the Columbia River Gorge area.

A hunter in Mosier, Ore., called police Sunday after finding a red Ford Focus at the bottom of a steep embankment. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office looked up the car’s temporary tags and determined that Joseph Sizemore was the owner. The agency had previously received a flier when the 42-year-old went missing, said Chief Deputy Lane Magill.

Skamania County deputies had talked with Sizemore on the morning of Sept. 7 at the Washougal River Mercantile to help him after he had car trouble. At the time, Sizemore said he was heading back to his house on Northeast Halsey Street in Portland. Family members reported him missing when he didn’t return home, and said that he had medical issues that required medication.

On Monday, Wasco County deputies searched the ravine and discovered Sizemore’s body about a mile from his car, Magill said. It appeared that Sizemore had driven across private property into the ravine.

“There was hardly any body damage to the vehicle,” he said.

Based on the body’s decomposition, it appeared Sizemore had been there for two or three months, Magill said.

His body was turned over the Oregon State Medical Examiner, which will determine the cause and manner of death. So far, there are no signs of foul play, Magill said.

“I hope it does give the family closure, I really do,” he said. “I just can’t imagine having a family member missing.”