PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Authorities announced they have found the body of a Portland hiker who was reported missing on Tuesday, July 12.
According to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, crews recovered the body of 53-year-old Christopher Smaka after a 911 caller reported seeing his body in the Sandy River.
Just before 7:30 p.m. on Monday, crews recovered Smaka’s body in a deep-pool section of the river — across from the area where search teams found some of his personal belongings on July 12.
This news comes after crews suspended the search for Smaka on Thursday, July 14.
Smaka was first reported missing after he didn’t return home from a planned day-hike in the Gordon Creek area, authorities said. Officials later found his car near a trailhead in the area.
Officials told KOIN 6 News Smaka was reported missing by his significant other, who last received a text from him around 8:30 a.m. on Monday. In the text, Smaka reportedly said he was going into the Oxbow Park area to go swimming in the Sandy River.
Authorities also found Smaka’s car on SE Gordon Creek Road near Corbett on July 12, and Multnomah County authorities initiated a joint search with Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.