Lost motorist found on forest road

Published 8:53 am Monday, January 22, 2018

A 52-year-old woman from Starr, Idaho, was found stuck in the snow on a Forest Service road near Ukiah after she was reported missing by family members.

According to the Oregon State Police and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Ruby Pike left Portland Jan. 19 at 8:30 a.m. and was expected to arrive in Idaho by 10 p.m. Pike told a family member she planned to take a scenic route, and her last contact was with her husband at 4:13 p.m. Pike said she would call him when she reached Ontario, but she never did.

The sheriff’s office was notified Pike was missing at about 8 a.m. the next day. A ping from her cellphone placed Pike around 10 miles south of Ukiah. An extensive search by Grant County Search and Rescue and OSP troopers from John Day, Baker City, La Grande, Pendleton and Ontario began around noon.

Two Grant County deputies located Pike’s white Toyota Tundra pickup truck stuck in snow on Forest Road 52 near milepost 35 at 7:58 p.m. Pike was found inside the truck and in good health. She was transported to Ukiah where she was checked by ambulance staff and reunited with her family.