Law enforcement officials said Wednesday that the human remains found near Oregon Creek in the Camptonville area of Yuba County could belong to a man who has been missing since at least May.
On Sunday, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call for service from hikers who had located human remains in a steep and remote area near Oregon Creek. Deputies and detectives responded to the call and recovered the remains, as well as additional personal belongings.
According to Elizabeth Hardesty, of Santa Rosa, her family found a skull in Oregon Creek while on a “family river day,” she said in an email to the Appeal-Democrat. On Wednesday, she said that she had found maggots in the skull. It had no skin or muscle tissue, she said, and didn’t seem to have been at the location for more than six months.
“I thought it could be a young adult because of its size, at first,” Hardesty said.
On Monday, Yuba County Search and Rescue searched along Oregon Creek for further clues, but due to the terrain, additional resources were required and ultimately nothing more was found, officials said.
Then, on Tuesday, Yuba County Search and Rescue conducted an “extensive search” along a cliff side off Pike City Road.
“During the search, they located additional human remains and a maroon GMC Acadia. The vehicle is registered to Dean Penn, who was reported missing in May of 2022,” the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “CHP responded and is handling the crash investigation. The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office is currently in the process of identifying the remains by use of rapid DNA technology. Mr. Penn’s family is working with detectives to provide DNA for comparison.”
According to authorities, the overturned GMC Acadia was 600 feet down a cliff in the Oregon Creek canyon.
“It appears the vehicle had been there for some time,” reports stated. “… The vehicle found matches the description of a vehicle that was last known to be driven by a missing person reported to the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department in May 2022.”
Officials said the GMC Acadia appeared to have left Pike City Road and overturned into the canyon, east of Camptonville. The road is narrow and has gravel-forest access at that point. The area is dense forest and part of the Tahoe National Forest. There are no homes and the area is rarely visited.
“There were no indications that a vehicle had left the roadway at that location, and there were no calls for service in the area,” reports stated.
The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing and further information will be released when it is available. If anyone has information regarding this investigation, they should contact the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office at 530-749-7777.