Breaking: Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office leads search for missing mushroom hunter
Published 5:36 pm Monday, May 4, 2026
The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office is leading a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation for a missing mushroom hunter.
The sheriff’s office in a statement Monday afternoon, May 4, announced Mickey Dean Cearns, 69, of Stanfield, went missing May 3 at approximately 2:20 p.m. during a family mushroom hunting trip. He was last seen in the area just north of the Mount Emily Snow Park, off Forest Road 3102. The Umatilla County Regional Dispatch Center received the initial call from a concerned family member.
The Umatilla County Search and Rescue Team mobilized immediately, with members conducting ground searches, deploying several drone flights to survey the area and using dogs to search. SAR teams from Baker, Union and Grant counties responded to assist.
Cearns is bald, 6 feet tall and weighs 220 pounds, the sheriff’s office reported. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, multi-colored (tie-dye style) shorts and red walking shoes.
“The terrain is especially challenging due to dense vegetation and some steep areas,” according to Sgt. Rowen Hayes, Umatilla County Search and Rescue coordinator.
As the search entered its second day, this morning, Life Flight provided air support and an aerial vantage point of the search area.
To ensure a continued search effort, an incident management team and searchers from Wallowa County SAR have been called in to assume command May 4. They also will bring in another K-9 search team. This will allow Umatilla County SAR and assisting SAR teams to refresh and prepare for continued operations May 5.
The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office also urged members of the public to avoid the search area on Road 3102 to ensure air assets and tracking teams can operate without interference.