12/7/24 – LCSO CASE #24-6449 – MISSING ENDANGERED PERSON FROM BEND FOUND ALIVE IN REMOTE AREA OF LANE COUNTY

On December 4th, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a missing person case involving Cheryl Leigh Guajardo, 76, of Bend. She was last believed to be driving in the Lowell area on December 3rd.

Lane County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue began a coordinated search of the area involving dozens of volunteers, deputies, and personnel from several assisting agencies. The search was hampered by poor cell service in the remote area she went missing, preventing searchers from tracking her cell phone or vehicle. This prompted a state-wide Silver Alert due to the possibility she had left the area.

On December 7th at about 11 a.m., searchers located Guajardo’s vehicle on an overgrown spur road north of Lookout Point Lake, and a short time later, found Guajardo alive and responsive. Guajardo was transported by ambulance to an area hospital.

During this search, dozens of personnel drove thousands of miles, and walked or rode hundreds of miles more. Multiple drones and aircraft searched the area from the air.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the many agencies that assisted with this search:
– Linn County Sheriff’s Office
– Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
– Bend Police Department
– Oakridge Fire Department
– Oregon State Police
– Oregon Department of Emergency Management
– Oregon Department of Transportation
– U.S. Coast Guard
– U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
– Federal Bureau of Investigation
– U.S. Forest Service

Thank you as well to the many residents of our state who have kept an eye out for Guajardo, and to Guajardo’s friends and family who assisted with the investigation and search.