Crews recover body of woman swept away in Gorge mudslide

DODSON, Ore. (AP) -- Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters on Saturday recovered the body of a woman whose vehicle was swept away in a deep mudslide during a winter storm last week.

Jennifer Camus Moore, a registered nurse from Warrendale, was driving in the Columbia River Gorge early Wednesday, Jan. 13, when her SUV was buried under about 15 feet of mud, rock and trees.

Crews used front loaders, dump trucks and other heavy equipment to clear the edges of the debris field as they tried to find her in the wet, unstable mud.

A private contractor helped verify the location of her vehicle on Saturday morning by using a high-powered metal detector.

“It’s not the outcome everyone would have hoped for,” River Patrol Unit Sgt. Steve Dangler said in a Facebook post, “but at least at this point, it brings closure to the family and allows them to begin the grieving process.”