Curry County, Ore.- Curry County Sheriff John Ward has suspended the search for missing hunter, Shawn Higgins.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have to suspend the search for Shawn at this time,” said Sheriff Ward in a press release issued Tuesday evening. “Our hearts go out to the family, friends and community that love Shawn so dearly. We pray that they will find a way to make sense of this tragedy and heal their hearts. The connection that the people of Coos county have with each other and the way they come together to help each other is nothing but astonishing and an example for other communities to live by. I am very humbled.”
Higgins and his son, Trevor, went missing Friday, Oct. 14 while hunting in the Shasta Costa drainage in the Bear Camp area about 45 miles east of Gold Beach. After an extensive search, Trevor was found four days later.
Tuesday evening, Sheriff Ward announced, “the extensive ground search for Shawn Higgins of Coos Bay, Oregon has been suspended due to no signs, clues or indication to where he might be in the vast rugged search area.”
According to the Sheriff, search and rescue teams from several counties across the state, along with friends and co-workers, assisted Curry County Search and Rescue. Crews searched from dawn until after dark each day, with some spending the night so they could search longer and cover more ground. In addition, businesses from Coos and Curry Counties donated food, clothing and supplies to aid in the search efforts.
In a Facebook post, Shawn Higgins’ wife, Stephanie, said her son will make a full recovery and asked for the community’s prayers.
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