DCSO SAR team finds missing woman in Sisters

(Update: Searchers find missing woman; more details on sequence of events)

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office searchers on Saturday night found a missing woman last seen in the early afternoon at a Sisters park, a successful conclusion to a search that involved two agencies and a public alert, including automated phone calls to nearly 3,000 homes and businesses in the area.

Just before 6 p.m., the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office got a call from Gerry Siegmann, 74, of Rockaway Beach, reporting that his wife, Roberta “Robin” Sigemann, 75, had walked away from Creekside Park in Sisters around 1 p.m. and had not been seen since, said Deputy Jim Whitcom, assistant search and rescue coordinator.

Siegmann advised his wife suffered from memory loss and had left her purse and phone in their motor home, and that their dog, Bo, was walking with her.

Three sheriff’s deputies, a patrol sergeant and a special services sergeant responded to the area and began conducting road searches in the immediate area, as well as obtaining more details for responders.

Shortly before 7 p.m., an emergency alert system call was made to about 2,800 phones within a two-mile radius of Creekside Park to be on the looking for the woman.

A news release to alert the public to look out for her was sent to media and posted to social media about a half-hour later. “She will recognize her name,” Sgt. William Bailey told the public, “however, she will not know where she lives or how to return to her motor home.”

Around the same time, two Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue members were deployed in a vehicle as a “hasty team,” Whitcomb said. Meanwhile, the SAR incident management team of three volunteers and two deputies was drawing up a search plan for 13 more SAR volunteers and nine Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District “fire corps” volunteers.

Around 8 p.m., the hasty team found Roberta Siegmann and Bo on the east side of the Sisters Movie House, sitting in the grass among some bushes, Whitcomb said. She was evaluated by SAR medics and released to her husband’s care.

The sheriff’s office thanked numerous citizens who provided information, as well as the fire district and Chief Roger Johnson for their assistance.