30-05-2025
Hunter's text to 911 leads to dead couple down steep cliff, Oregon deputies say
A couple's remains were recovered after they died in a rollover crash, Oregon officials said.
On May 24, a bear hunter was scouting the area when he saw two bodies in a 'very steep embankment' in the distance so he texted 911, according to a May 29 Facebook post by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the area and found marks on the road that indicated a vehicle had rolled down the hill, officials said.
After using ropes, deputies found the body of 55-year-old Anthony Forbes and his wife, 50-year-old Mandi Forbes, 215 feet below the road, officials said. They were from the small city of Drain in Douglas County.
Their 1986 Suzuki Samurai had rolled past them after they were ejected and stopped in a ravine, 500 feet from the road, officials said.
Search and rescue personnel planned to recover the bodies but deemed the area unsafe to continue, so they regrouped the following day, officials said.
The hillside, with thick brush and at a slope between 27 degrees and 50 degrees, required 15 team members to 'complete the strenuous recovery,' deputies said.
Deputies said they believe alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash. It appeared the couple had been dead several hours before the hunter spotted them.
Douglas County is about a 200-mile drive south from Portland.
