Body believed to be Coulee City man recovered from steep terrain near Orondo

ORONDO — A search for a Coulee City man who had been missing since July 5 ended Thursday when search crews recovered human remains from steep terrain near Orondo that are believed to be his.

John Morrison's vehicle was first discovered July 14 after Douglas County deputies responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked near rental properties at Stinar and Rivendell roads. The caller told deputies they were concerned the vehicle might have been stolen.

Investigators determined the vehicle had been abandoned and learned it belonged to Morrison, who had been reported missing nine days earlier. Grant County detectives joined Douglas County deputies in searching the surrounding hillsides with a drone, but found no sign of him. The vehicle was later returned to Morrison's family.

The search continued the following day as Douglas County deputies again used drones to scan the rugged terrain. Later that afternoon, a Chelan County Sheriff's Office helicopter spotted what appeared to be a person lying several hundred feet below the location where Morrison's vehicle had been found.

The individual appeared to be deceased and was located in terrain too steep for immediate recovery. Because no hoist-capable aircraft was available before nightfall, crews were forced to suspend recovery efforts until the following day.

On July 16, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit responded and successfully recovered the remains.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said the remains are believed to be Morrison's. They have been transferred to the Douglas County Coroner's Office for autopsy and formal identification.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media