Missing man’s truck found in California national forest, cops say. Then remains found
A man’s truck was discovered in a remote part of a California national forest over a year after he was reported missing, deputies said.
Then human remains were found nearby.
Donald Stockwell Jr.’s Chevrolet truck was found Oct. 5 in the Mendocino National Forest, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 19 news release.
Stockwell was reported missing from Josephine County, Oregon, on Jan. 31, 2022, deputies said.
He was spotted two days later on camera putting gas in his truck at a Chevron in Willows, California, deputies said.
Then he vanished.
Authorities described him as an “at-risk missing person with dementia.”
When investigators received a report of an abandoned truck off Road 20N59, the caller said it was unlocked and had Stockwell’s belongings inside.
Deputies said they responded to the truck two days later and searched for Stockwell. They found no evidence of foul play.
During the search, deputies said officials found human remains about a quarter of a mile from his vehicle.
The human remains have not been identified yet, deputies said.
Mendocino National Forest includes nearly 1 million acres of “rugged, unique landscape.” Visitors can fish, boat, hike or camp in dense parts of the forest or open meadows.
It is about 120 miles northwest of Sacramento.
This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Missing man’s truck found in California national forest, cops say. Then remains found."
