09/16/2024
On 09/14/2024, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office organized a search mission near McClellan Meadows, within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, for a missing person case reported nearly two years ago. In November of 2022, John Hopkins, 69, from Seattle, Washington, was reported as a missing person. Hopkins’ rented vehicle was located, parked in the McClellan Meadows Sno-Park parking lot. However, after conducting several coordinated searches of the area, Hopkins was not located. In 2023, hunters located belongings believed to be associated with Hopkins approximately 1.5 miles northeast of where Hopkins’ vehicle was located, but no human remains were found at that time. On 09/14/2024, volunteers from both the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team and Silver Star Rescue Team, organized by a Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Coordinator, attempted another search effort to locate Hopkins. This mission was successful in recovering human remains believed to be Hopkins. The remains will be sent out for forensic D.N.A. analysis to confirm the identity.
The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office is so thankful for the selfless volunteers who searched on Saturday, finding what will likely bring closure to Hopkins’ family. The Search and Rescue volunteers who serve our county are an incredible resource and we are so grateful for their service.
