Human Remains Found in Gifford Pinchot National Forest May Belong to Hiker Missing Since 2013

Authorities believe human remains discovered in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest last week, not far from the Pacific Crest Trail, may belong to a day hiker who has been missing since 2013.

Several weeks ago, a hiker stumbled upon a human skull while exploring the Big Lava Bed in eastern Skamania County and reported the incident, along with GPS coordinates, to authorities. When detectives could not locate the skull, the hiker returned several days later and voluntarily led them to the site. Additional remains were subsequently discovered nearby.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, it is believed the remains belong to a hiker that went missing in 2013. The missing hiker was last observed in the Big Lava Bed and, after numerous coordinated search efforts, was never located,” reads a Skamania County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Although the medical examiner’s office has not yet officially identified the remains, the area in which they were discovered is consistent with the last known location of Kristopher Zitzewitz of Portland, Oregon. Zitzewitz, then 31, became separated from his hiking partner while looking for caves in Big Lava Bed in September 2013 and was never seen again despite extensive search efforts.

One other hiker went missing in 2013 in Skamania County — Maureen Kelly, 19, of Vancouver. However, the sheriff’s office told local news outlet KATU-TV on Friday that they believe the remains found last week belong to Zitzewitz.

A Facebook page dedicated to his memory appears to agree. “After all this time … we’ve finally found you,” reads the most recent post on the page.

Featured image: A photo taken in the Big Lava Bed area in 2013 by