[Ski]

Wednesday August 15, 2018 17:11 PDT Olympic National Park News Release Identity Confirmed for Human Remains Recovered from Remote Area of Olympic National Park Port Angeles, WA: The Clallam County Coroner confirmed this afternoon that the human remains recovered from the park over the weekend are that of missing 22-year old Jacob Gray of Port Townsend, WA. The family has been notified. Late Friday afternoon, August 10, a field crew of park employees and volunteers found abandoned outdoor recreation equipment and clothing in a very remote area near Hoh Lake in the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness of Olympic National Park. The clothing and equipment matched the description of items related to Gray. Early Saturday morning, a team of park law enforcement rangers were sent to conduct a detailed search of the area. During their search, the team found additional clothing and human skeletal remains. The remains were transferred to the local medical examiner’s office and then to King County Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification. A full report is still pending. Until then, this remains an open investigation and no further information is available. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the Gray family and friends in this difficult time,” said Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. Gray left home on the evening of April 5, 2017. On the afternoon of April 6, Gray’s unattended bicycle and gear were found on the side of Sol Duc Road. Law enforcement rangers conducted a hasty search of the area which included the Sol Duc River bank. Larger interagency search efforts focused on the river corridor turned up no indication of his whereabouts. -NPS-

[Yana]

Thanks, Ski. Wow. No wonder the search didn't turn up anything - that is way outside any reasonable search area given where his bicycle and gear was found. So many questions that will never be answered, but at least he was located.

[Ski]

It is kind of a strange set of circumstances. Tragic deal - he was just a kid - only 22.

[Yana]

I was over there for part of the search (the later one last summer, not the initial search in April). Because it was a long way for many of the searchers (being from other counties, many pretty far away), they set up a place for us to camp the day before the search. His parents came over to introduce themselves and were thanking all of us individually for coming to help search. I can't imagine what that must feel like - knowing your son is very likely dead (it had been months by this point), but not having any answers about where he is or what happened. And I hate that I can't realistically give them any meaningful platitude or reassurance. The thing that bothers me most about Jacob Gray is that his bicycle was found on the side of the road - not at a trailhead or parking lot, just on the side of the road as if he got off for a few minutes to do something (which was understandably the main assumption during the search) on the way to somewhere else. That makes where he was found so much weirder and inexplicable.

[Ski]

Not a clue. Some nefarious activity involved somehow? Somebody maybe tried to steal the bike? I only know what I've read in the press releases, and I don't know that area of the Park, so I'm kind of clueless on this one, but from my end it does look a bit strange. I try to avoid making any speculative comments on this kind of stuff - people getting lost - because it's just useless speculation. (i.e., Vesper Peak thread.)

[Yana]

[Yana]

Hesman, I believe what the media release is saying is that the field crew found some of his belongings, then the LE park rangers found the remains and also more of his belongings. Though, it is not unheard of to be looking for a deceased person and find the remains of a different deceased person. Happened on a SAR mission a few months ago on the Tulalip reservation.