Woman's body found under 15 feet of debris 10 days after car swept away in landslide

The body of a woman who went missing for 10 days after she vanished when her car was suddenly swept away in a mudslide has been discovered under 15 feet of mud, rock and logs.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Jan. 13 at approximately 1:15 a.m. when Jennifer Moore was driving in Dodson, Oregon, when she was hit by a landslide and swept off the road, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

“In the days following the landslide, searchers identified an area in the debris flow where they believed Moore’s vehicle likely came to rest. Searchers estimated her vehicle was buried under 15 feet of mud, rock and logs,” Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Authorities say the operation to find Moore, who was a 50-year-old registered nurse from Warrendale, Oregon, was incredibly treacherous and they had to use heavy machinery – including front loaders and dump trucks – to remove debris just to reach the location where they thought Moore could be.

Multnomah authorities said the work had to be performed very delicately because the mud in the area was wet and unstable.

Once the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office reached the approximate location where they thought Moore could be, they began working with a private contractor who used a high-powered metal detector to locate the exact location of the car underneath the 15 feet of mud, rocks and logs.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office were then able to complete the recovery with the assistance of firefighters from nearby Corbett County.

“It’s not the outcome everyone would have hoped for,” River Patrol Unit Sgt. Steve Dangler said, “but at least at this point, it brings closure to the family and allows them to begin the grieving process.”