By Tim Binnall
In a tragic story out of the Pacific Northwest, two men searching for Sasquatch in a national forest were found dead from exposure days after they had been reported missing. The unfortunate case came to light on Saturday by way of a Facebook post from Washington's Skamania County Sheriff's Office wherein they explained that the two Portland, Oregon residents had embarked on the Bigfoot hunt before the holidays. When the duo did not return as planned on Christmas Eve, family members understandably grew concerned and contacted authorities the following day. A license plate-reading camera located the pair's vehicle near the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which sparked a massive search of the area for the two missing and endangered men.
According to the sheriff's office, over 60 volunteers from seven different rescue teams provided help in the effort, and the US Coast Guard deployed a FLIR-equipped helicopter to look for the lost Sasquatch hunters. What followed, the department said, was "a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions" that ultimately led them to the lost men, who did not survive their ordeal. According to the sheriff's office, the two unnamed individuals, aged 37 and 59, were found dead from what is believed to be "exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness."