On October 8, 2017, at about 3:35 p.m., the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Search and Rescue (SAR) Coordinator reported his team found human remains in vicinity of the Klamath National Forest site that has been the subject of a recent search for a possible missing man connected to an abandoned vehicle. On October 8, 2017 at about 12:40 p.m., the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) received a report of a “suspicious vehicle” from an off-duty law enforcement officer. The officer was hunting with a family member when he encountered an abandoned vehicle on a United States Forest Service (USFS) road in the Klamath National Forest (near Cade Mountain).
The vehicle was abandoned and a door was opened. California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer and SCSO deputy responded to USFS Road 17N38 near USFS Road 19N01 and the vehicle, a silver SUV with a Florida license plate affixed, was located and found to be unoccupied. A wallet and cellular phone were found in the vehicle. There was evidence of animal intrusion within the interior of the vehicle, and dried blood was found, raising concerns about the prior occupant’s welfare. Florida documents located in the vehicle identified the possible missing/endangered person as Mr. Alexander Navarro Rivera, 59 years-old, with a Florida address. SCSO initiated a search and rescue (SAR) mission to locate Mr. Rivera.
According to Sheriff Jon Lopey, “A forensic autopsy will be conducted later this week to identify the remains found by our SAR team and the analysis will attempt to determine the cause and manner of death associated with this incident. It may take one to two weeks to identify the remains but we will work with Florida authorities to determine if the remains can be matched to the most plausible possibility – that of our suspected-missing person, Mr. Rivera. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CHP, our SAR Team Coordinator and the brave and resourceful SAR volunteers for venturing into the rugged wilderness where the vehicle was found to search for the missing person.”
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office 24-hour Dispatch Center at (530) 841-2900.
