ABERDEEN, Wash. — Quick action by the Aberdeen Police Department's drone team helped locate and rescue two individuals who became lost while mushroom hunting in a wooded area east of Aberdeen on Monday morning.
According to the Aberdeen Police Department, officers were dispatched at approximately 9:50 a.m. on June 15, 2026, after receiving a report from a woman who said she and a friend had become lost in the woods near the 1100 block of Basich Boulevard.
The caller told dispatchers the pair had been dropped off in the area around 4:00 a.m. to search for mushrooms and had spent several hours navigating the dense terrain. As temperatures rose, they began running low on water, became overheated, and were unable to find their way back out of the woods.
Grays Harbor 911 was able to provide officers with a general location based on the emergency call. Officers also maintained phone contact with the caller, who was able to identify a small clearing approximately one-half mile from Basich Boulevard.
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To aid in the search, an Aberdeen Police Department drone operator deployed a drone over the area and successfully located the stranded individuals. Officers then utilized an off-road vehicle to travel through the thick underbrush and reach the pair.
Both individuals were safely escorted out of the wooded area and evaluated by medics from the Aberdeen Fire Department. Neither required further emergency assistance.
During the investigation, officers discovered a vehicle hidden in the woods that was registered to one of the individuals involved. Police determined the pair had driven around posted "No Trespassing" signs in order to access the area and conceal the vehicle before entering the woods.
As a result, a 41-year-old Aberdeen resident and a 29-year-old Hoquiam resident were cited for trespassing and released at the scene.
The incident highlights the growing role of drone technology in search-and-rescue operations, allowing first responders to quickly locate people in difficult terrain while reducing risks to both rescuers and those in need of assistance.
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