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Wash. Man Who Went Missing on Family Outing Found Alive After Nearly 3 Days in Remote Forest

yamhill county sheriffs office/ Facebook Yamhill County Sheriff's Office officials

A 73-year-old man has been found alive after authorities say he went missing during an outing with his family.

The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a press release Wednesday that they had rescued Sang Kwon Sa a little over two days after the Washington state resident was reported missing.

Authorities said Sa was found Tuesday afternoon in a forest approximately seven miles north of Grand Ronde in the remote area of Yamhill County Oregon. They did not disclose specifics on his condition.

"This search was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort," Sheriff Tim Svenson said in a statement. "The cooperation of the workers and volunteers resulted in a life being saved. You can't ask for anything better."

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According to the sheriff's office, Sa first went missing on Sunday evening around 5:30 p.m. while he was collecting plants with his family in Yamhill County.

A search was immediately launched, with multiple agencies and around 100 volunteers all pitching in to help. A private helicopter, unmanned aerial drones, ground searchers, ATV units and search dogs were also utilized in the search, according to police.

On Monday, Yamhill County Special Deputy Dean Danchuk spent five hours looking for Sa aerially via helicopter, but his efforts were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office explained.

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However, things changed on Tuesday when officials said Danchuk and his spotter, Rich Ashenbrenner, "expanded" their search.

The duo eventually found Sa "lying down in a field approximately 2 ½ miles away from the point of his last known location," according to the press release.

Police said Danchuk and Ashenbrenner helped load Sa into the helicopter before transporting him to Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville, where he is receiving medical care.

Following the successful rescue, Svenson credited a number of agencies for their assistance, including the Yamhill County Search and Rescue (SAR) team, Washington County Sheriff's Office SAR, Oregon Man Trackers Association, and the Confederate Tribes of Grand Ronde Natural Resources Department.