Remains Found in Mt. Hood Forest Confirmed as Missing Hunter

Remains found this month belonged to a hunter who went missing in Mount Hood National Forest after he messaged a friend about heading back early from his trip, officials said.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Tuesday, Nov. 25, news release that the medical examiner’s office confirmed that the remains recovered from the forest were those of Devon Christopher Dobek, 51, of Hubbard, Ore. His death was ruled accidental, authorities said. 

Dobek was reported missing on Oct. 31, after he failed to return home from his hunting trip in the forest.

“The missing hunter, 51-year-old Devon Dobek of Hubbard, was due to return from his hunting trip late Friday night but had messaged a friend that he was returning early after getting a deer,” officials previously said.

“Deputies located Mr. Dobek’s truck near the Fish Creek Trailhead, off SE Hwy 224 and 54 Rd., but there was no sign of a deer or of Mr. Dobek, whom friends describe as an experienced hunter equipped with appropriate gear,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Later that evening, searchers began scouring the area. Gunshots presumed to be from Dobek were heard at one point, but searchers could not determine their location.

Then on Nov. 7, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office announced it had suspended large-scale search and rescue efforts for Dobek. 

“The large-scale search efforts were active from Friday, October 31, through Friday, November 7,” the sheriff’s office said. “Additional searches may resume if new information or evidence is discovered.”

The sheriff’s office said at the time that the weeklong search involved over 4,000 personnel hours by volunteers looking in the area where the hunter’s truck was discovered near the Fish Creek Trailhead. Among the resources employed included ground teams, helicopters, drones, airplanes, K-9 units and ATVs. 

“The search area had minimal to no cell service and included steep terrain, some of it damaged by the 2020 wildfires,” officials added.

Then, on Nov. 15, the sheriff’s office was alerted that a body had been spotted in the forest, particularly in a difficult-to-reach location near the Fish Creek Trailhead. 

“Community members, family, and friends of missing hunter Devon Dobek were searching the area when they saw what appeared to be a body at the base of a [400-foot] cliff and notified the Sheriff’s Office,” authorities said in the update. 

The following day, rope teams and a deputy were able to reach what they believed at the time was Dobek, and the remains were recovered, according to the sheriff’s office. 

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“Our thoughts are with Devon’s family and friends at this difficult time,” authorities said on Tuesday.