At approximately 1:50 pm, Tuesday afternoon, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Cougar Lane Resort in Agness, Or., reporting that they were told by a person who had been with a motorcycle group, that a deceased male subject that was found about 3 and a half miles up the Illinois River Trail past Buzzard’s Roost.
The initial report was from an off-duty Curry County SAR member who was with a few others on dirt bikes riding the trail when they came across the deceased person. According to the SAR member, there was no indication of foul play.
Curry County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Coordinator Sergeant Ted Heath sent a Deputy and a Search and Rescue member to hike the trail to locate the reported deceased person. Several other Search and Rescue members gathered at the trailhead with equipment to assist in the recovery.
Due to the narrow rugged steep trail and distance in, Search and Rescue members took a motorized track wheelbarrow cart and a single wheeled stokes carrier to assist in getting the victim back to the beginning of the trailhead.
While the Search and Rescue team was hiking the trail, the Sheriff’s Office contacted some local residents in the area and determined that the deceased person was seventy years old Steven Chamberlain who lived near the Illinois River Trail Head in Agness, Or.
Chamberlin left his residence about 2:00 pm the day before to go on an overnight hike and camping trip.
On Wednesday, April 25th at about 12:30 am, approximately nine hours after they started the recovery efforts, Search and Rescue members made it back out to the start of the trailhead with Chamberlain, who was then released to Redwood Memorial of Brookings, Or. It appears that Chamberlain died of natural causes. The next of kin has been notified.
Curry County Sheriff John Ward would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank each of the Search and Rescue members and Deputies who assisted in this very difficult recovery.
The Illinois River Trail is not well maintained and the terrain was rugged, narrow and steep.
“My hat is off to these unpaid professional Search and Rescue members” he stated.
Without these dedicated men and women to do these difficult things, there would be no closure for the families.
Please Like, Share and Follow the …
