PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An 80-year-old mushroom picker who had been missing for nearly two days was safely reunited with his family after being spotted by a passerby near Trillium Lake.
Steven Souvannaraj helped another person who was lost out of the woods, but went to retrace his steps after he said he lost his car keys. That’s when he got lost, authorities said.
Sometime Tuesday Souvannaraj was reported missing after he left Monday morning to go mushroom picking in the Mt. Hood National Forest.
CCSO Search & Rescue Coordinators set off to search for Souvannaraj in the Trillium Lake area. Several search and rescue teams from the area assisted with help from Souvannaraj’s family who gave scent articles for the K9 teams to use.
His family found his van late afternoon Tuesday near Sherar Burn Road.
Search crews searched late into the night and returned Wednesday morning. A total of four teams were looking for Souvannaraj that morning, with four additional teams on standby for that afternoon.
Around 12:40 p.m. a passerby saw Souvannaraj at a rock quarry near Trillium Lake and contacted ground searchers. He was evaluated by medics who cleared him and he was able to walk to the command post to meet his family.