Police seek tips after Ohio man goes missing near Mount St. Helens

Searchers want to speak with anyone who hiked the Blue Lake Trail near Mount St. Helens since last Thursday in an effort to find an Ohio man who since went missing in the area.

According to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, Matthew B. Matheny, 40, of Warrenton, Ohio, was last seen around 7 a.m. Thursday. He was driving a local friend’s gray Subaru Outback to go to Mount St. Helens. His friends reported him missing when he failed to return.

On Saturday, a Skamania County sheriff’s deputy found the unoccupied Subaru at the Blue Lake Trailhead in Cowlitz County. The trail is off National Forest Road 81.

Search and rescue teams responded with ground crews and aerial drone operators in an effort to find him, and the search was ongoing Sunday afternoon.

Matheny is white, 6 feet, 4 inches tall, 230 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. He may be wearing a Cleveland Browns sweatshirt, shorts and sandals, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office wanted to speak to anyone who had been on the trail, or had seen Matheny or his car, since Thursday. Tipsters can call the office at (360) 577-3092.