On August 1st, 2018, Samantha Sayers disappeared while hiking Vespar Peak in the Cascade Mountains. Her disappearance triggered an extensive and prolonged search operation, one of the largest in Snohomish County's history.

The search, spearheaded by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, mobilized an impressive array of resources. Over three weeks, eighty initial searchers expanded to include multiple county agencies (Everett, Seattle, Tacoma), state emergency responders, the U.S. Air Force, and a vast number of volunteers. Air support comprised helicopters SnoHawk 1 and King County's Guardian 1, utilizing infrared and thermal imaging, logging a combined 357 hours in the air. Ground teams covered 12 square miles of extremely rugged terrain, facing steep slopes, waterfalls, and dense undergrowth. Specialized technical climbing teams explored the sheer north face of Vesper Peak. The Sheriff's marine unit dedicated 82 hours to searching Spada Lake. Drone teams contributed 150 hours of aerial surveillance. At least 14 teams of trained search dogs were deployed, some camping on the mountain to maximize search time. Volunteers selflessly contributed over 7,904 hours. The sheer scale of the effort is evidenced by the combined total of 868 hours from official air, ground, and water units, exceeding the hours in an entire year.

Despite the exhaustive search, including the use of advanced technology and the dedication of hundreds of people, Samantha was not found. After three weeks, the official search was suspended, and Samantha has never been found.

What happened to Samantha Sayers?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6071107/amp/Search-Seattle-hiker-missing-two-weeks.html

https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2019/04/where-on-earth-is-sam-sayers

https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/a-year-later-no-plans-to-renew-search-for-hiker-sam-sayers/

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/2018/8/25/samantha-sayers-strange-disappearances-from-us-mountains?format=amp

https://people.com/human-interest/police-continue-search-hiker-went-missing-washington/

https://mynorthwest.com/1090358/samantha-sayers-search/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna904296

https://katu.com/amp/news/local/missing-hikers-family-friends-launch-own-search-to-find-her

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nation-and-world/search-suspended-for-hiker-missing-near-washington-state-peak/amp/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6028529/amp/Search-28-year-old-hiker-missing-four-days.html

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/team-of-search-dogs-lead-rescue-efforts-saturday-for-missing-hiker/281-585400216

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna904296

https://fredonialeader.org/news/2018/11/07/not-only-a-missing-person/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038219364/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/816422594/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038227100/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038237845/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038220639/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038229540/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/707461828/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1038235002/?match=1&terms=Samantha%20Sayers

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/search-for-missing-hiker-nears-3-weeks-as-family-clings-to-hope/

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/search-suspended-for-vesper-peak-hiker-missing-since-aug-1