Searchers continue to look for Portland boy missing near Crater Lake

The Oregonian
Portland, Oregon
October 17, 2006

Tuesday morning searchers continue to look in Crater Lake National Park for an 8-year-old Portland boy who went missing Saturday after wandering away from his dad on a camping trip.

The boy, Samuel Boehlke, known as Sammie, has spent three nights in freezing temperatures. Snowy conditions hampered the search efforts Monday.

About 80 rescuers are working in rugged terrain looking for Sammie who wandered off at a turnout on Rim Drive just east of the Cleetwood Cove trail head, park officials said.

Authorities mounted a hasty search about 6 p.m. Saturday that included dog teams as they called in additional resources from as far away as Mount Rainier and Kings Canyon national parks. Local county sheriff's and civilian mountain rescue groups have joined the search.

Snow has made the search more difficult. A helicopter made about six passes before it was grounded Sunday by the weather. Horse teams have stopped looking because of slick conditions. About 5 inches of snow has fallen above 7,000 feet since Sunday afternoon.

It was cold and cloudy on the rim Tuesday morning, meteorologists said. It's about 25 degrees on the rim, and the mercury is expected to climb into the 50s by the afternoon. It's expected to stay dry for the next four or five days, but the nights will be cool.

Sammie was last seen wearing a long-sleeved green and black striped T-shirt, a dark blue winter jacket, tan cargo pants and light red slip-on suede shoes with rubber soles. He weighs about 85 pounds, has brown eyes, short brown hair and is about 4 feet, 11 inches tall.

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