News Release from: Clackamas Co. Sheriff's Office
Clackamas County Sheriff's Office suspends search for missing girl; deteriorating weather conditions put rescuers at risk
Posted: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, 4:25 p.m.
Photos: [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office has suspended the search-and-rescue (SAR) mission for 6-year-old Vinesa Snegur, who slipped and fell into the flood-swollen Clackamas River on Jan. 22 at 3:30 p.m. while playing in the snow with her mother and father.
The search effort began that day with more than 60 search-and-rescue volunteers in the field. It continued uninterrupted until 3:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, Jan. 24).
This effort has been complicated by near-freezing conditions, heavy precipitation and high river levels. Typical summertime flow on Clackamas River measured at the nearby Portland General Electric Three Lynx Station is about 1,300 cubic feet per second (CFS).
The day young Vinesa fell into the Clackamas, that station recorded a flow rate of 5,857 CFS. The rate of flow declined over the past several days to 4,036 CFS, but it is forecast to rise dramatically over the next two days, reaching 15,198 CFS by Thursday. This flow rate and the resulting flood conditions make a continuation of the search too dangerous.
Organizations that contributed to the search effort included:
This exhaustive effort included divers and swift-water rescue personnel from the Clackamas County Water Rescue Consortium -- who conducted a painstaking in-water search starting at the scene of the initial incident and proceeding four miles downstream.
Their efforts yielded two items of clothing known to be worn by the missing girl -- a hood and a fleece jacket -- depicted in the above-linked photographs. The hood was found on the bottom of the river two miles downstream. The fleece was also found underwater, three miles from the point where she fell into the river.
Her jacket was also found on the bank of the river, eight miles downstream.
In addition, search dogs trained to identify human scent, as well as other search teams, combed both banks of the river, completing a total of four separate searches, looking for Vinesa or any evidence that she might have exited the river.
Yesterday, a break in the weather permitted the Oregon Army National Guard to deploy a helicopter equipped with a thermal imager -- which was able to complete four passes above more than 30 miles of river.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office coordinated the search, and reported that in spite of the rigorous conditions, no searchers were injured.
At 3:30 p.m. today, members of the Sheriff’s Office informed Vinesa’s family that the search was suspended. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to monitor river and weather conditions.
The family has specifically requested no contact with the media.
EARLIER: Sheriff's Office Search & Rescue seeks missing girl, 6, who fell into Clackamas River east of Estacada
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Contact Info:
James Rhodes, Sergeant
Office of Public Information
Clackamas County Sheriff's Office
Their efforts yielded two items of clothing known to be worn by the missing girl -- a hood and a fleece jacket -- depicted in the above-linked photographs. The hood was found on the bottom of the river two miles downstream. The fleece was also found underwater, three miles from the point where she fell into the river.