Tracks in snow lead to missing Prineville woman

Crook County rescuers followed tracks in the snow Monday morning to find a 76-year-old Prineville woman who vanished from her home overnight, deputies said.

Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched shortly after 8 a.m. to SE Davis Loop and Southwood Drive on a report of a woman missing from her bed overnight, said Undersheriff John Gautney.

Deputies learned after arriving that the woman’s husband was at the home and reported his wife was missing, he said.

There were tracks leaving the residence in the snow that fell the night before, Gautney said. The snow and ice, combined with very cold temperatures, made for life-threatening conditions for anyone out in the elements and not dressed for it, he said, adding that the woman could be suffering from a medical condition.

Crook County Search and Rescue was activated and members went to the area to assist, as was an ambulance from Crook County Fire and Rescue, Gautney said.

As SAR members began to arrive, deputies who had been following the tracks from her home found the woman about 100 yards from her home, Gautney said.

She had fallen in an area away from the road, and was unable to get up, the undersheriff said. She was obstructed from view by tall brush in the area.

The woman was suffering from hypothermia and was taken by ambulance to Pioneer Memorial Hospital for treatment, Gautney said.