Day five in the search for Mark Bosworth

A group of volunteers at the debriefing session after a full day of searching rural Douglas County for Mark Bosworth.
(Photos: Steve Durrant)

We are now into day five in the search for Mark Bosworth, the 54-year-old Metro employee who went missing from a Cycle Oregon campsite on Friday night.

According to volunteers that have joined the search on the ground in the Riddle area, there are still no major developments to report.

One of the volunteers, Bike Gallery employee Mickey Deagle Today, shared with me this morning that the focus has shifted back to a three-mile stretch of Yokum Road between Riddle and Interstate 5. The reports of a hitchhiker seen on that road Friday night still, “represents the most concrete lead,” says Deagle.

Deagle is one of 80 volunteers who joined the search effort yesterday (50 of which came in a bus from Portland organized by Cycle Oregon), adding their eyes to the 40-strong crew of professionals and law enforcement authorities already on the case.

Portland resident Steve Durrant is also down there. He shared a few thoughts with me about his experiences yesterday.

“It was a sad day, lovely weather, touching stories of people staying or returning. I had dinner tonight with a fellow from Anchorage, Alaska. He’s done Cycle Oregon five times and he didn’t know Mark, he just thought it was the right thing to do.”

Durrant was in a team of six people who walked 4 1/2 miles of road. They spent nearly four hours climbing into ditches, looking in culverts, and talking to passersby. “It would have been a nice walk in the countryside on a lovely afternoon,” Durrant shared, “were it not for the mission.” Durrant shared this photo, which gives you an idea of the rural terrain they’re searching…

The local media has been paying more attention to this case with each passing day. The Oregonian and KOIN-TV have sent reporters to Riddle. KOIN shared a video this morning that features Mark’s wife Julie Bosworth explaining her concerns about Mark’s medical condition (he’s a recent survivor of lymphoma cancer)…

In addition to his wife Julie, many other members of Mark’s family have made the trip to Riddle. Mark’s oldest daughter (he has two) Kelly left a comment yesterday expressing gratitude for community’s support:

“I would just like to say how amazing it has been for my sister, mom, and I to read all these kind comments about my dad. Thank you everyone for sharing. There is no news for us to share at this time, but we remain confident about the team that is looking for him. Thank you, again, for all your positive thoughts.”

I’m in contact with several people on the ground in Riddle, as well as the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Cycle Oregon ride director Jerry Norquist. Let’s hope they have more news to report soon. Stay tuned and remember to download and distribute the missing person flyer (PDF).