FORKS — A second day of searching Tuesday yielded no clues to the fate of a 21-year-old Hoh tribal member who vanished after his boat capsized on the Hoh River on Monday.
David Hudson Jr. was fishing with his sister, Elva Hudson, 29, also a member of the Hoh tribe.
They were commercially fishing in the river near the Hoh River Resort, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Nole.
They were casting a net when the boat hit a log and capsized at about 1 p.m. Monday.
Elva Hudson swam to shore. Her brother was last seen being swept downstream by the current, followed by the net and boat.
Just as they did Monday evening, the search and rescue team planned to stop their efforts at dark and resume early this morning.
“We are still holding out some hope that we will find him alive,” Nole said.
Because the five miles of river downstream from the Hoh River Resort are populated, Nole said that if Hudson was able to climb out of the river, he should have been able to make his way to a house or a road.
Description given
Hudson was wearing hip boots, rain pants and a gray sweatshirt.
He is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Neither he nor his sister was wearing a life jacket.
“They are searching both the water and equally the roads and surrounding woods,” Nole said.
“Nothing has shown up.
“But the river has dropped some and the visibility has gone to about a foot, where before they could only see a couple inches in,” Nole said.
“They were encouraged that might help.”
The boat was found, but footprints surrounding it are not believed to be his.
Some clothing found in the river on Tuesday also turned out to be unrelated, Nole said.
In addition to a team of Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies, the search on Monday included members of the Hoh tribe, state Fish and Wildlife, Olympic National Park and the Coast Guard.
On Tuesday, Jefferson County deputies and tribal members were joined by volunteers from several other local tribes, Nole said, adding he wasn’t sure which ones specifically.
Hudson’s family members could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Anyone with information on the incident or the location of Hudson is asked to phone Nole at 360-301-9747.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
