Portland hiker’s body recovered in west Texas park

MARFA, Texas (AP) – Searchers have recovered the body of an Oregon hiker who was missing more than a week at Big Bend National Park in West Texas.

The Presidio County Sheriff’s Office says the body of 65-year-old Tim Reed of Portland was located Wednesday upriver from the mouth of Closed Canyon.

A sheriff’s department statement Thursday said Reed was reported missing Jan. 23 by his girlfriend after he went hiking a day earlier but didn’t return. Sheriff Danny Dominguez says Reed’s body was on a ledge and it appears he accidentally fell.

A helicopter transported emergency personnel to the scene. Park rangers repelled in, then used a basket to transport Reed’s body to the Rio Grande. A canoe was used to transport the body to the Colorado Canyon area.

An autopsy was ordered.