An 80-year-old Bethany woman who vanished over the weekend was found dead Tuesday inside her crashed car in a northwest Portland ravine, bringing a tense, days-long search to a tragic end. Deputies located the vehicle after someone reported a car down a slope near a residential area, as neighbors who had been sharing her description and scouring back roads waited anxiously for news.
Authorities identified the driver as Ann Chase, 80, of Bethany. She was found in the vehicle in a ravine near NW Thompson Road and NW 53rd Drive, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Late-Night Departure Sparked Alarm
Chase was reported missing on June 21 after a neighbor’s doorbell camera captured her unexpectedly driving away from her Bethany home around 1 a.m., her son told FOX 12. “Everybody’s really worried about her,” Cole Chase told KPTV, which shared the family’s description of her and the red Mazda CX-5 she was believed to be driving.
Crash Under Investigation, No Foul Play Suspected
Washington County Sheriff’s deputies said they were dispatched after a caller reported a car in the ravine and found Chase inside. The Washington County Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, and investigators do not suspect foul play at this time, officials told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Washington County non-emergency line at 503-823-3333, KPTV reported. The family has thanked neighbors who joined the search as investigators work to determine how the vehicle ended up in the ravine.
