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Search Scaled Back For Missing Hiker At Mount Rainier National Park

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By NPT Staff - October 24th, 2020
A search for a missing University of Washington professor at Mount Rainier has been scaled back/NPS file

A search for a missing University of Washington professor who set out for an overnight hike from Mowich Lake at Mount Rainier has been scaled back/NPS file

After nearly two weeks of fruitless searching, and with winter weather setting in, Mount Rainier National Park officials have scaled back the search for a missing professor from Seattle.

The 33-year-old assistant professor in the University of Washington's Anthropology Department had set out to hike the Mother Mountain Loop out of the Mowich Lake Trailhead on October 9. He was expected to return the next day.

Friday evening park officials announced that their extensive search efforts over ten days have not located located any signs of Dubal, who had joined the university staff in June.

Rangers along with volunteer teams had been searching for Dubal since October 12. Daily efforts included ground-based search teams, canine teams, drones, helicopters, and the use of Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras.  

With the arrival of snowy weather and following exhaustive search efforts, the park has suspended ground searches but will continue to manage the search as new leads arise, a park release said. 

“Searchers have spent long hours scouring the area and not locating Dr. Dubal is heavy on our hearts,” said Chip Jenkins, the park's superintendent. “We continue to be in close contact with Dr. Dubal’s family and will keep them updated as new information becomes available.”  

If you have any information that could help investigators, you're asked to contact the NPS Investigative Service Branch (ISB) Tip Line. CALL or TEXT at (888) 653-0009, EMAIL [email protected] or ONLINE form at www.nps.gov/ISB.

Also still missing in the park is Vincent Djie, who went missing near Longmire in June. A 25-year-old Indonesian student living in Seattle, Djie was said to be hiking the Van Trump Trail toward Mildred Point. When he failed to return home the night of June 19, he was reported missing to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. 

Three days later, on June 22, Talal Sabbagh was reported missing in the Paradise area. The body of the 27-year-old from Seattle was found on August 4.

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