By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is now asking if anyone has seen a missing mushroom picker, as a dead battery in his vehicle leads them to suspect he may have slept in it on Saturday night and walked out the following morning.
Saykham Tiansevilay
More than 25 search and rescue personnel on Wednesday began combing the area around Forest Service Road 47, approximately five miles northwest of Packwood after the man’s parked vehicle was found by his family late the afternoon before.
Saykham Tiansevilay, 68, left his home in Auburn to gather mushrooms in the Packwood area and was reported missing the following day.
Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Browns says Tiansevilay may have walked toward Packwood or Ashford, or even been picked up by someone.
He is an experienced mushroom hunter, has no known medical conditions but wasn’t equipped to be outdoors for more than a few hours, according to Brown. He was wearing street clothes.
The search area has been expanded utilizing multiple teams, the sheriff’s office does not suspect foul play and they will continue to investigate as a missing person case, Brown said in a news release this morning.
If anyone has seen him or has information about his whereabouts, they are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 360-748-9286.
If someone picked him up I would hope the family would let the SO know. These searches cost a lot of money and put the volunteers at risk in the slick, wet woods. I certainly pray for a good outcome for this case.