Mushroom pickers lost in Ore., searchers find their car, clothes, gear

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Belinda and Daniel Conne, both 47

(Credit: Courtesy Curry County Sheriff's Office)

(CBS/AP) GOLD BEACH, Ore. - Deputies found the SUV and some clothes belonging to three missing mushroom pickers this morning, but say they have yet to find the family.

The Oregonian reports Belinda and Daniel Conne, both 47, and their son, Michael, 25, were last seen Sunday about noon at their campsite in Huntley Park on the Rogue River, said Curry County Sheriff John Bishop.

The family and their fog disappeared after a day of picking mushrooms in the forests of southwest Oregon.

"For us not to see all three of them and the dog, we don't know," Bishop said.

The family had been living at the campground for the past eight months since moving from Oklahoma, Bishop said. They supported themselves working off jobs, glass blowing and picking mushrooms.

The camp host called the sheriff's office to report them missing Sunday night. Monday, deputies searched a two mile area from the campground to where they were known to pick mushrooms.

The search expanded on Wednesday and police found their unlocked 2004 red jeep Cherokee, with a chain saw and binoculars inside. Two jackets, a backpack and a tote were found on the ground about a third of a mile away at the end of a gravel road.

After finding the items, Curry County officials requested help from seven nearby counties in Oregon and California through an existing search-and-rescue agreement, Bishop said. About 40 searchers, four tracking dogs, and four aircraft have scoured the area, which is bound on all sides by main roads.

Bishop said there was no reason to suspect foul play but the fact the three people and a dog were missing in a relatively open country where they could be easily seen from the air is a mystery. Even if one of them broke a leg, the others could hike out for help.

Investigators reached Belinda Conne's mother in Duncan, Okla., who said she had last talked to the family about a week ago.

11 Comments +

Add a Comment See all 11 Comments

by realtimecoffee February 4, 2012 5:27 PM EST

They've been found alive. Worth clicking the link just to compare the photo with the one on this page.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/02/mushroom_pickers_who_went_miss.html

Reply to this comment


by erasmus111 February 4, 2012 7:07 PM EST: Holy crap. What a difference.

by foo8259 February 4, 2012 3:00 PM EST

Did the dog get lost in the fog?

Reply to this comment


by mecanik-2009 February 4, 2012 6:03 PM EST: LOL

by red_robin February 4, 2012 9:33 AM EST

"The family and their fog disappeared'... I hate it when my fog disappears!

Reply to this comment


by erasmus111 February 4, 2012 10:16 AM EST: I hate it when people get paid good money to do a job and they can't do it. Which seems to be the norm on here.


by red_robin February 4, 2012 9:28 AM EST: "The family and their fog disappeared'... I hate it when my fog disappears!; Reply to this comment

by mecanik-2009 February 3, 2012 7:12 PM EST

Sad to see this country in such a economic mess that people need to resort to this kind of thing to survive. I hope they find them.

Reply to this comment


by erasmus111 February 4, 2012 10:12 AM EST: "What makes you think they were doing this for survival as opposed to recreation?"

Hmmmm, I'm thinking that's the most logical conclusion considering they have been LIVING in a campsite for 8 months. If they had any money, I doubt they would have been living in a campsite.