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Deputies seek tips for missing 78-year-old man gone ‘shed hunting’

Carroll Donald Parkins of Colton had left his home that morning to go “'shed hunting' – searching for the shed antlers of deer or elk – in the woods off Molalla Forest Road." April 26, 2023. (Courtesy: CCSO)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A search-and-rescue mission is underway to find a 78-year-old man who was last seen in Molalla on Saturday, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities say Carroll Donald Parkins of Colton had left his home that morning to go “’shed hunting’ – searching for the shed antlers of deer or elk – in the woods off Molalla Forest Road” and has yet to return.

According to deputies, Parkins may be wearing brown boots, blue jeans, a black-and-white plaid hickory shirt, a brown flannel over-shirt, suspenders, a black baseball cap with orange on the bill, or similar outdoor clothing.

His family contacted the sheriff’s office just after midnight on Sunday when they found his silver Toyota Tundra parked on a gravel pull-out on the road, officials say.

The office began a search and rescue mission that morning with volunteer teams such as Portland Mountain Rescue and Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue.

Officials say anyone with information about Parkins’ whereabouts should contact the Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency Line at 503-655-8211, their tip line at 503-723-4949 or via this online form. Reference Case No. 23-008383.

Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops.