Runner texts wife he’s lost on Pacific Crest Trail. Then his remains are found, cops say

A Pacific Crest Trail runner texted his wife to tell her he had lost the path. He was found dead below a cliff two days later, deputies said.

Nicholas Wells, a 33-year-old from Camas, Washington, left to go running on the Pacific Crest Trail on Friday, Oct. 21, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon said. He started the run in the morning, but he never returned.

“Wells was in touch with his wife off and on through the day and reported having lost the trail at some point but found it again,” deputies said in a news release. “She became worried when her calls and texts went unanswered.”

His wife reported her husband missing that evening, and rescuers rushed to his last known location. They scoured the area through the night, but they didn’t find any signs of Wells, deputies said.

The search continued into Saturday morning when officials launched an airplane to help search for Wells.

“Due to the terrain, the cell phone tower data was not able to provide a narrow search location, and soon searchers were working both the Pacific Crest and Ruckel Creek trails, a wide search area,” deputies said.

New cell phone location data, however, was provided late Saturday evening, which helped rescuers narrow their search.

At about 1 a.m. on Sunday, officials found Wells’ body at the bottom of an 80-foot cliff, deputies said.

His remains were recovered Sunday and taken to a funeral home.

The Pacific Crest Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada. It weaves through California, Oregon and Washington. Thousands of hikers make the trek every year.

This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Runner texts wife he’s lost on Pacific Crest Trail. Then his remains are found, cops say."