Butte County Sheriff's Office Searching For Missing Man After Teen Body Found Near River

BERRY CREEK (CBS13) — The Butte County Sheriff's Office is searching for a 14-year-old boy who went missing while camping.

According to the Sheriff's Office, they were contacted by a man who said he was camping with his son and friend, 57-year-old Christopher Stephenson, near Bean Creek Road.

At some point, the father got separated from his son and Stephenson. Deputies and other law enforcement personnel arrived and began to search for the two of them, per the news release.

On July 13, Butte County Sheriff's Office personnel found the teen's body near the bottom of a steep rock embankment. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Past wildfires have burned hiking trails and caused other damage making the search harder.

CBS13's Marlee Ginter spoke with Rob Shipley who lives about a mile up the road from where search crews are located. When she asked about difficulty hiking in the area, Rob had this to say, "Absolutely, 100% it would be difficult.  Almost insane."

Sheriff's deputies told Marlee that they don't suspect foul play.

Deputies are currently searching for Christopher Stephenson and ask that anyone with information call the Sheriff's Office at 530-538-7322.