Deputy fire chief vanishes while hunting for elk, Washington officials say
A Seattle Fire Department deputy chief is missing in Washington after going elk hunting, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputy Chief Jay Schreckengost texted his family he was leaving his rented cabin to go hunting near Cliffdell on Nov. 2, Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Nov. 4.
But Schreckengost’s family hasn’t heard from him since.
Cliffdell is an unincorporated community about 41 miles northwest of Yakima.
His pickup truck was located a day after he went missing, officials said. The truck is a red Ford F-150 with a canopy, according to a Facebook post from Kimberly Ledbetter, his daughter-in-law.
She described him as being an “experienced hunter” in his late 50s, 6 feet, 2 inches tall, weighing about 250 pounds, bald with blue eyes.
Numerous teams have been looking for the deputy chief as poor weather approaches the upcoming weekend, including seven search and rescue teams, four K9 search teams, drones and Seattle Fire Department volunteers.
Rescuers are looking for the man in “remote and challenging mountainous terrain” where road access is narrow and limited, the sheriff’s office said.
“We are deeply saddened about this news and are holding Jay and his family close in our hearts,” the Seattle Fire Department posted on Facebook. “We are hopeful for positive news that he will be found safe.”
Officials ask anyone with information about Schreckengost to call KITTCOM, the unified Kittitas County emergency dispatch center at 509-925-8534.
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Deputy fire chief vanishes while hunting for elk, Washington officials say."
