Two people were found dead Saturday in a forest in southwestern Washington where they disappeared last week while searching for Sasquatch, authorities said.
The bodies of the 37- and 59-year-old men were found in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest after a three-day search, according to the Skamania County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff says both deaths appear to be caused by exposure Said in a statement, noting that people were unprepared for the brutal cold weather.
Neither man was identified, but the sheriff said the pair were from Portland, Oregon.
The Sheriff's Office coordinated a search and rescue operation that included the United States Coast Guard, several local law enforcement agencies, and 60 volunteers, including dog, drone, and ground search teams to locate the missing.
“Over the difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions” their investigation began on Christmas Day, when Skamania County sheriffs received a report of two men who were late returning from an outdoor excursion to track Sasquatch.
Also known as Bigfoot, Sasquatch is a mythical creature said in folklore to inhabit North American forests, especially in the Pacific Northwest.
“The Skamania County Sheriff's Office would like to honor the extraordinary volunteers who sacrificed time away from their families during the Christmas season to assist our agency in this mission,” the office said. “These phenomenal volunteers battled freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, sleet and heavily wooded terrain. Their intensive search efforts resulted in family members being brought home to their loved ones.”