January 14, 2019
From Lashay Wesley, KATU.com
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing duck hunter near Astoria, saying it is now considered to be a recovery effort.
Coast Guard crews spent 19 hours looking for Riley Salisbury. The 19-year-old went missing Saturday afternoon near Russian Island while on a hunting trip with his father.
“We have all of his gear, the boat and now the shotgun. No Riley. What happened? We don’t know,” said Todd Salisbury, Riley’s father.
Salisbury said his son is an experienced hunter who is familiar with the area.
He told KATU News he had a frank conversation with deputies, who informed him that his son most likely succumbed to hypothermia.
“We want closure. We’d love to find Riley. We know that rational reasoning is that we’re not going to find him in the condition that we wanted to. We would still like to have closure,” he said.
Salisbury said his son was wearing Cabella waders and camouflage neoprene.
The two were hunting in separate boats Saturday, and they connected via cell phone every hour. When Riley missed a check in with Todd, the father called 911, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search and looked for Riley by boat.
The search was called off just after noon Sunday.