Sheriff's office suspends search for missing Portland woman

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Overnight snow hampered searchers as they scoured trails in the Columbia Gorge Thursday morning to look for any signs of 37-year-old Alissa McCrann. The sheriff's office decided to suspend its search Thursday afternoon, pending any new information. McCrann's SUV was found in a lot near Multnomah Falls on Tuesday. (Portland Police Bureau)

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Thursday afternoon announced it is suspending its search for a missing 37-year-old Portland woman after more than 50 searchers spent the morning scouring trails in the Columbia Gorge.

Sheriff's office search and rescue deputies, a Hood River search-and-rescue air unit and teams and other volunteer searchers began scouring the trails around Multnomah Falls Wednesday morning for any sign of Alissa Marie McCrann after her 2011 Mazda CX7 was found parked at the popular Columbia River Gorge attraction Tuesday.

Search efforts Thursday were hampered by significant snow that fell overnight, according to Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

In the past two days, they searched over 150 miles of trails in the gorge, but found nothing, according to the sheriff's office.

McCrann did not show up for work on Monday and had been reported missing since Saturday, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said in a news release.

She was last known to have come home after a run near Portland Adventist Medical Center on Saturday morning and then left her home in the Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood.

Two people had reported a possible sighting of McCrann Saturday afternoon, indicating she was wearing running clothes and shoes but had no emergency supplies with her. Searchers scoured trails around Franklin Ridge with no luck.

Search volunteers encountered increasingly difficult conditions Thursday after more than a foot of new snow fell at higher elevations Wednesday night.  Other hazards on the trails - including ice accumulations and washouts - have hampered their efforts, officials said.

The search is suspending, pending any new information or discoveries.

According to a prepared release, the sheriff's office consulted with a wilderness doctor from OHSU Hospital, and the Portland Police Bureau's missing persons unit before deciding to suspend search efforts.

Anyone with additional information should contact the bureau's missing persons unit by email at missing@portlandoregon.gov.

Police ask that if anyone sees McCrann, call 911.

Friends of McCrann also set up a Facebook page to share information about her disappearance.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com
503-221-8212
@maxoregonian

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