Third set of human remains found in Gifford Pinchot National Forest this month

For the third time in the last month, human remains were found in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southern Washington.

In November 2022, 69-year-old John Hopkins of Seattle, Washington, was reported missing.

“Hopkins’ rented vehicle was located, parked in the McClellan Meadows Sno-Park parking lot,” the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

The agency conducted several searches of the area, but Hopkins was not found.

In 2023, hunters located belongings believed to be associated with Hopkins approximately 1.5 miles northeast of the parking lot, but no human remains were found.

On Sept. 14, a mission was organized by the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office to search near McClellan Meadows.

Volunteers from both the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team and Silver Star Rescue Team attempted to locate Hopkins.

The teams recovered human remains believed to be Hopkins. The remains will be sent for forensic DNA analysis to confirm the identity. The remains will be sent for forensic DNA analysis to confirm the identity.