Breaking: Search Teams Report Finding Possible Human Remains During Long-Term Search Along Highway 162

Saturday, 11 July 2026, 11:31 am Kym Kemp Leave a comment

Members of the search team prepare equipment near the command post Saturday as crews searched the Eel River corridor between the 8-Mile Bridge and Dos Rios. Later in the day, scanner traffic indicated a team had reported finding possible human remains, prompting the deployment of cadaver K-9 teams. Authorities have not yet confirmed the report.

Members of the search team with equipment near the command post today as crews searched the Eel River corridor between the 8-Mile Bridge and Dos Rios. Later in the day, scanner traffic indicated a team had reported finding possible human remains, prompting the deployment of cadaver K-9 teams. Authorities have not yet confirmed the report.

A large-scale Search and Rescue operation along the Eel River east of Covelo took a potentially significant turn this morning when a field team radioed that they had located what were described over emergency communications as vertebrae and intact cell phones. The discovery has not been officially confirmed by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, but scanner traffic indicated cadaver K-9 teams were being dispatched to the location to assist investigators.

Earlier today, search teams began combing the river corridor along Highway 162. Captain Quincy Cromer of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office told Redheaded Blackbelt, “They are doing a large search in and along the river off Highway 162 from the 8-mile bridge to the Dos Rios Bridge and beyond.”

A Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office command post was established near the search area Saturday as Search and Rescue personnel continued a long-term mission along the Highway 162 corridor.

“Please use caution and avoid the area if possible,” Cromer said. “We ask motorists to drive slowly and respect the safety of searchers deployed in the area.”

Flightpath of the search plane, a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172. [Screenshot of FlightRadar Credit to ‘WRQK587’ local radio operator]

Flight-tracking data also showed a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 flying repeated search patterns over the river corridor throughout the morning, making multiple overlapping passes between Dos Rios and the area south of the 8-Mile Bridge.

Asked about the purpose of the operation, Cromer said it was “Continuing SAR mission for a missing person from years prior.”

Although authorities have not publicly identified the case connected to Saturday’s search, the operation is taking place in the same area where John Thomas Davis III disappeared while hunting in October 2021. Despite repeated searches over the past several years, Davis has never been found.

The reported discovery of possible human remains and personal belongings has not yet been linked to any missing person. Authorities are just now at the scene and have not announced whether the remains are human or whether the cell phones are associated with the investigation.

This is a developing story and will be updated as official information becomes available.

Search personnel and law enforcement gather along Highway 162 near Dos Rios during Saturday’s large-scale Search and Rescue operation. Authorities asked motorists to slow down and avoid the area if possible.

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