REGION
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
East Oregonian
Body found after search near Meacham
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
MEACHAM — The body
of a woman from Idaho, who
went missing near Meacham,
was found on Saturday, May
8, according to a press release
from the Umatilla County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce.
Deb Hendrichs, 56, from
Star, Idaho, was found on
the east side of Interstate 84
south of Meacham near mile-
post 238 after a multiagency
search began on May 8, the
press release said. She had
been missing since Jan. 11,
when her vehicle was found
near the area.
“This operation involved
detailed planning and execu-
tion, which resulted in a
successful end to help bring
closure for the family and
loved ones,” the press release
stated. “We would like to
express our sincere condo-
lences to the family of Deb
Hendrichs. It has been our
privilege to help bring her
home.”
When the search began,
a team of dogs quickly
found Hendrichs’ wallet and
Umatilla County Sheriff ’s Offi ce/Contributed Photo
Members of a multiagency search team prepare to start searching for Deb Hendrichs, 56,
from Star, Idaho, on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
other items described in the
search plan. Then, while
law enforcement secured
the scene, dogs and drones
searched the area nearby.
T he dogs fou nd
Hendrichs’ body soon after,
the press release said. The
Oregon State Police and
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Offi ce responded to the scene
and recovered the body, the
press release said.
An Oregon Department of
Transportation worker was
the last person who reported
seeing Hendrichs after her
vehicle stalled. Oregon State
Police Lt. Daniel Conner
of Union County said the
ODOT employee asked
Hendrichs if she needed
help and she said her cell-
phone was not working in
the area, but someone was
coming to help. The ODOT
employee then put out safety
fl ares to protect Hendrichs
and called OSP, which sent a
trooper to assist. The trooper
arrived 20 minutes later. By
then, Hendrichs’ vehicle was
empty.
The search eff ort involved
numerous agencies and orga-
nizations, including sher-
iff’s office personnel from
Umatilla, Union, Wallowa,
Baker, Gilliam and Grant
counties, Oregon State
Police, Delmar Aerospace
Corporation and others.
Pendleton Farmers Market opens
People wander Main
Street in downtown
Pendleton on the
opening day of the
Pendleton Farmers
Market on Friday, May 7,
2021. The market, which
has returned to Main
Street after temporarily
relocating last year, runs
Fridays from 4-7 p.m
through October.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
LOCAL BRIEFING
TRCI inmate dies
in hospice care
UMATILLA — An
adult in custody at Two
Rivers Correctional Insti-
tution in Umatilla died
while in hospice care on
Friday, May 7, according to
the Oregon Department of
Corrections.
Rickie S. Sibbitt, 62,
from Marion County, was
less than a year from his
release after being in prison
since September 2001,
according to the state.
The state did not disclose
the cause of his death.
Pump station for
East Project to be
dedicated May 11
key to its success was the
tireless efforts of every
farmer-member and the
excellent technical team of
engineers, legal and fi nan-
cial experts that helped us
make it happen”.
Fred Ziari, president of
IRZ Consulting, said IRZ
used more than 100 diff er-
ent people, contractors
and suppliers during the
construction phase.
“We have designed over
2,000 systems in the last 35
years, but this is the largest
and most effi cient system
we have ever designed, and
we are proud of it,” he said.
One killed in ATV
crash near Ukiah
HERMISTON — The
$50 million East Project
irrigation system pumping
station will be dedicated on
Tuesday, May 11, at 1 p.m.
According to a news
release, the station is “the
most effi cient and largest
irrigation pumping station
built on the Columbia River
in the last 40 years.”
It was developed by
East Improvement District,
with engineering design
and construction manage-
ment by IRZ Consulting
of Hermiston. The East
Improvement District is a
partnership of seven local
farming entities.
The East Project, one of
three major irrigation proj-
ects in the Columbia Basin,
will provide additional
irrigation water for area
farmers and help preserve
and replenish groundwater
supplies. It can potentially
irrigate 25,000 acres.
“This project took
many years to finance
and develop,” Carl St.
Hilaire, chairman of EID,
said in a statement. “The
PENDLETON — Offi -
cials with the Umatilla
County Sheriff’s Office
said that an ATV driver
was killed and a passenger
injured in a crash on Satur-
day, May 8, near Ukiah.
According to a press
release from the UCSO,
Jessica Whitney Ice, 33, of
Pendleton, was pronounced
dead at the scene of the
crash in the area of Hide-
away Springs Road.
An adult female passen-
ger was transported by
ambulance to Ukiah, and
then Life Flighted by heli-
copter to St. Mary Medi-
cal Center in Walla Walla,
Washington, the press
release said, where she is
reportedly in good condi-
tion.
Police said the Umatilla
County Sheriff ’s Dispatch
Center received a call
around 3 p.m. reporting
the crash. Pendleton Fire
and Ukiah Quick Response
Team responded to the call.
Oregon State Police
Crash Reconstruction is
conducting an investigation
of the scene.
— EO Media Group
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