Baker County sheriff releases details on Sumpter area search-and-rescue call
An ATV ride from a Sumpter camp sent Baker County rescuers into a four-hour overnight search before the 79-year-old returned on his own.
A Memorial Day weekend ATV ride out of a Sumpter-area camp turned into an overnight search when a 79-year-old man failed to return, sending Baker County deputies and volunteer rescuers into remote ground where darkness, distance and health concerns quickly raised the stakes.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office said the man left camp on an ATV and did not come back. Officials later said he had several health conditions and was not prepared to spend the night outdoors, a combination that turned an overdue check-in into a formal search-and-rescue response.
BCSO Deputy Rosin and Baker County Search and Rescue members spent four hours searching in the middle of the night. At daylight, six more SAR members joined Sheriff Travis Ash, Lt. Downing and Deputy Robb, widening the response as crews kept working the Sumpter area. Dispatch also received the report as a lost person call, with Sumpter Fire Department, Deputy Mills and Baker County Search and Rescue among the first responders.
The man returned to camp on his own mid-morning. Family members took him to the hospital as a precaution.
The sheriff’s office said the incident underscored the value of the county’s volunteer rescue system, which depends on people who donate their own time and personal equipment. Baker County Search and Rescue says its missions can involve people from ages 5 to 90, from lost hikers and campers to woodcutters, children and downed aircraft. The team says it typically handles about 10 to 12 missions a year and logs more than 2,000 volunteer hours annually. The sheriff’s office said Baker County SAR members donated 1,028 hours and deployed on 13 missions in 2025.
That local workload fits a statewide pattern. Oregon Department of Emergency Management says about 0.025% of people who recreate outdoors become lost or injured, leading to roughly 1,000 search-and-rescue missions a year. OEM works with 36 county SAR coordinators across Oregon, including Baker County.
The sheriff’s office also thanked media partners, including Elkhorn Media Group, for helping spread the alert on social media and over the radio. In a county with long forest roads, mining country and uneven terrain around Sumpter, the call was another reminder that a short ride from camp can become a major rescue if someone is delayed, unprepared or unable to make the trip back on their own.
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