Family lost in snowstorm found

OREGON CASCADES: The Lane County Sheriff’s Office received information Monday morning that five overdue subjects, including a 6-year-old, were missing.

The group included 37-year-old Jobee and 33-year-old Renell Baumgardner, their 14-year-old son Caleb, 6-year-old Colton, and 14-year-old Thomas Blanton. The group left the Springfield area Sunday at about 10:30 a.m. to go play in the snow. They planned to return by 8 p.m.

The Baumgardners had said that they’d likely be going to the area of HooDoo (On Hwy. 20’s Santiam Pass) or the Salt Creek SnoPark (near Willamette Pass on Hwy. 58). The group was believed to be traveling in a blue/gray 2018 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Police said they were believed to have experience in the snow but weren’t likely to stay overnight.

Searchers worked with cellular providers to narrow the search area and confirmed the group was found on a forest road between McKenzie Bridge and Oakridge around 1:30 p.m. Monday.

“Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue personnel have located the missing subjects in the Box Canyon area off of Forest Service Rd. 19. All five persons are accounted for and in good health,” the sheriff’s office said Monday afternoon. “The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank those that promptly provided information on this case. Tips provided by the public allowed searchers to quickly narrow the search area and find the missing persons.”

It wasn’t clear how they got lost as well as what they did to survive.