Missing deputy fire chief found dead on elk-hunting trip, Washington sheriff says
A missing Seattle Fire Department deputy chief was found dead in Washington after he went scouting for elk, officials said.
Jay Schreckengost’s family last heard from him on Nov. 2 when he texted them he was leaving his cabin to go hunting near Cliffdell, the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Nov. 4.
Search and rescuers looked for Schreckengost for more than 10 days through “challenging terrain and cold, wet conditions,” the sheriff’s office said.
His body was found Sunday, Nov. 14, a half-mile from where his pickup truck was parked, authorities said.
There were no initial signs of foul play or “suspicious activity,” the sheriff’s office said. The Kittitas County coroner will confirm the cause of death.
“We’re saddened to give news of Chief Schreckengost’s passing to his family and fellow firefighters, and we ask the public and press to respect their privacy as they grieve his loss,” Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers said in a statement.
More than 60 agencies were involved in search and rescue efforts, including volunteers and 160 members from the Seattle Fire Department, the fire agency said in a Facebook post.
“Deputy Chief Schreckengost was a husband, father and friend to all, and our hearts are with his family right now who have been at the site every day searching alongside search and rescue, fire and law enforcement agencies,” the fire agency wrote on Facebook.
Cliffdell is an unincorporated community about 41 miles northwest of Yakima.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Missing deputy fire chief found dead on elk-hunting trip, Washington sheriff says."
