Extensive Clear Creek search leads to missing man’s body

Officials are investigating after a missing man’s body was found near the Clear Creek Gorge Overlook parking area earlier this afternoon.

Officials and volunteers who found the man’s lifeless body had been searching for the victim throughout the afternoon after Bureau of Land Management officials found the victim’s car parked and locked at the parking lot off Clear Creek Road, about five miles west of Highway 273 and Win-River Casino.

After noticing that the vehicle had been parked at the location for several days, BLM rangers searched the area around the parking lot, which is a popular fishing spot and well known among area hikers.

Rangers eventually requested assistance from Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, who responded to the area to assist in the search. After officials located various items of personal property which belonged to the vehicle’s registered owner in a nearby wooded area they called in for more searchers.

They were soon joined by Shasta County Search and Rescue volunteers, mounted volunteers on horseback, a bicycle search team and dive teams. A California Highway Patrol aviation unit also assisted in the search, helping to coordinate from above in a CHP chopper.

Searchers eventually located the victim in an area west of the parking lot about 5 p.m., according to officials. The victim’s name has not been released pending further investigation and notification of the man’s family.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.