Search and rescue crews are still combing the densely wooded area near Gasquet for a 74-year-old Washington woman who was separated from her family on Friday evening.

A California Office of Emergency Services infrared plane flew over the area between milepost marker 5 on French Hill Road and milepost marker 15 on U.S. 199 on Sunday evening, but failed to locate the woman, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday. Search teams are on the ground and a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard are still assisting with the search, he said.

“It is darn cold and it was very cold last night,” Scott told the Outpost. “We did recover the dog’s leash, but we have not found the missing person or the dog. At this point we probably had well over 90 people since Friday night searching.”

The missing woman is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds, according to Scott. She was wearing a green rain jacket and pink pants and had a black medium-sized dog with her.

The woman was separated from her husband and adult daughter while mushroom hunting on Friday evening. The husband reported both his wife and daughter missing at about 8 p.m. Friday.
Rescuers found the daughter Saturday evening and transported her to Sutter Coast Hospital where she was treated for mild hypothermia.

Earlier today, Scott told the Outpost that people from Del Norte Search & Rescue, Gasquet Fire, Pelican Bay State Prison, a Crescent Fire Protection District firefighter and DNSO deputies are searching.

“It’s extremely steep and extremely dense brush, and it’s in a heavily forested area,” Scott said.

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