Search Is On For Missing Man In Clackamas County

Clackamas County, Ore. — The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a 78-year-old man who went missing in the woods near Molalla Forest Road over the weekend.

Carroll Donald Parkins from Colton was hunting for shed deer and elk antlers on Saturday morning and did not return home. Parkins’ family members contacted the sheriff’s office after finding his truck, a silver Toyota Tundra, parked on a gravel pull-out on Molalla Forest Road.

The sheriff’s office immediately launched a search and rescue mission, and teams started looking for Parkins in the area where his truck was found around 5 a.m. on Sunday. Multiple agencies, including Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, Portland Mountain Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, and search teams from the Washington and Multnomah County sheriff’s offices, are involved in the search.

The search area is in the Molalla River Recreation Area, a rugged but picturesque area along the Molalla River. The 2020 Beachie Creek Fire burned trees in the area, potentially giving searchers a clearer view into the forest, but there has been no sign of Parkins so far.

Despite the lack of leads, search volunteers remain optimistic and dedicated to their mission.

“Help others and you know help find this missing gentleman for a while and hopefully find him alive. But if not, we need to bring some closure to the family. And that’s really what we do, and there’s a lot of teamwork involved,” said Paul Trautman of Clackamas County Search & Rescue.

CCSO provided a description of Parkins’ clothing, which includes brown boots, blue jeans, a black and white plaid shirt, a brown flannel over-shirt, suspenders, and a black baseball cap with orange on the bill.

Anyone who has seen or heard from Parkins since April 22 is asked to contact CCSO’s non-emergency line at 503-655-8211 or the tipline at 503-723-4949, and reference case number 23-008383.