10/12/2026
Press Release: North Plains, OR Woman Missing From Two Color Campground Found Deceased
On October 8, 2026 at approximately 11:30 a.m., Baker County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a report of a missing, elderly female at Two Color Campground near Eagle Creek. Family members told dispatchers that 75 year-old Rita Demarinis, of North Plains, Oregon, was last seen walking to the bathroom at 9:30 a.m. and had not returned. They searched the area around their camp but were unable to locate her.
Sheriff Ash, members of the Baker County Search and Rescue Team and Baker County Sheriff’s Office K9, Deputy Daisy, responded to the campground. Deputy Mills deployed K9 Daisy and SAR members conducted a grid search. Despite initial search efforts, Rita was not located.
Crews continued to search Two Color Campground, Eagle Creek and nearby areas over the next few days. Resources used included a K9, technical ground teams and a drone equipped with infrared technology. Rita was entered as a “missing person” in the law enforcement database system, a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) was sent to law enforcement agencies in several neighboring states and BCSO personnel contacted hospitals from Idaho to Portland in the event that Rita had been picked up and driven out of the area.
On October 11th, the fourth day of the search, search and rescue members located the body of Rita Demarinis. During the search, information provided by family members pertaining to her health and limited mobility, including a shuffling gait, was taken into consideration. Given these reported limitations, the location she was ultimately found-higher up on a mountainside in an area of thick, dense timber-was unexpected for both searchers and family members.
Over the four-day period, search efforts included approximately 40 individuals from Baker County Search and Rescue, Union County Search and Rescue, U.S.F.S. law enforcement, Baker County Sheriff’s Office, and Union Interagency Hotshot Crew. Searchers logged nearly 50 miles and a combined overall total of 567 man-hours. Several of Rita’s family members also joined the search efforts.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the many volunteers and partner agencies that contributed their time, effort and resources to the search. Our thoughts remain with Rita’s family and friends and we extend our sincere condolences during this difficult time.
