Several members of the Curry County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team responded to the Grassy Knob trail head Monday August 21st, after receiving a call from Port Orford resident, Gary Doran, reporting that Port Orford resident, Alexandra Richardson was missing.
Mr. Doran reported that he had dropped 67 year old Alexandra Richardson at the Grassy Knob Trail Head in the Grassy Knob Wilderness area on Friday August 18th and that she was going to hike to Elk River and call him on Sunday August 20th.
Richardson was supposed to call Doran, however, he had not heard from her by 9:30am Tuesday, August 22nd.
Multiple Search and Rescue team members scouted out the area where Richardson had left from and started following some possible tracks down a very steep hillside with large trees and heavy brush. while an incident command station controlled communications, search tracks and documentation, keeping in constant contact with the ground crew.
Shortly after the four Search and Rescue members entered the area, they located Richardson’s coat, hat, and camera, indicating they were on the right track.
Just after 12:30pm, Alexandra Richardson was located by Search and Rescue members in a creek bed unable to walk after falling several times about a mile downhill from where she had started.
Due to her medical condition, the U.S. Coast Guard was notified to see if an airlift was possible from the location where she was found. The Coast Guard notified dispatch that they would respond and be there in about an hour.
After relaying that they would not be able to move Richardson, Search and Rescue members started clearing brush so the Helicopter could spot them. Other Search and Rescue members arrived at incident command to assist with extra equipment.
At about 2:30pm, the air crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station North Bend crew performed a challenging hoist from over 200′ in a deep ravine and through the dense canopy.
Richardson was then flown and delivered to the Cape Blanco airport where Cal Ore Life Flight was there to take her to the South Coast Hospital in Bandon.
