An Oregon man, Ben Andersen, 37, has been missing since May after traveling to Mount St. Helens, near the 46th anniversary of the volcano's catastrophic eruption. His parents last heard from him several weeks before attempting a welfare check in early June.
Andersen's last known location was traced via a GPS signal to a remote forest road near Randle, Washington. His father, Dale Andersen, stated that the immediate priority is locating the rented white Chevrolet Equinox SUV his son was driving. "The first thing we have to do is to find the vehicle before we can begin a search," Dale Andersen told KOIN.
His parents believe Andersen, an experienced runner, may have been training for the Bigfoot 200 Ultramarathon, a challenging trail race around Mount St. Helens. Although he had not yet officially registered or paid the nearly $1,600 entry fee, he had expressed interest in participating. Andersen had been attempting to return to the area following a leg injury.
Dale Andersen expressed concern that given the time elapsed, the search may transition into a recovery mission for his son's body. The missing man is described as six feet tall, 210 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.
Authorities are asking anyone with information on Ben Andersen's whereabouts to contact non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 or 9-1-1, referencing case number 50-26-8356.