Cape Flattery Search Ends With No Sign of Two Missing Men; Trail Reopens

A multi-agency search for two men who disappeared separately at Cape Flattery ended Friday evening with no sign of either, and the trail at the northwestern tip of the contiguous United States has reopened to the public.

The operation ended at 6 p.m. Friday, according to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office. 

Search teams had covered the entire Cape Flattery trail system, including the beaches, coves, ravines and surrounding terrain, the release stated. Neither man was located, and no sightings or new leads were reported.

The men are Jeffrey R. Hunter, 53, of Columbus, Ohio, and Florin Anghel Grigoriu, 44, of Kirkland. The Sheriff's Office has said the two disappearances appear to be unrelated.

Two vehicles, five days apart

Hunter parked at the Cape Flattery parking area on July 16 and did not return, the Sheriff's Office said. 

No one had seen or heard from him after he obtained his Makah permit to be on tribal land. Deputies who contacted his family learned he had been on a road trip and that relatives had not heard from him in several days.

Grigoriu rented a vehicle in Port Angeles and arrived at the same trailhead around noon on July 21, according to the Sheriff's Office. 

His cell phone was left in the vehicle. Deputies who spoke with his family were told he had recently been exhibiting mental health issues, an account the Sheriff's Office said was corroborated by recent interactions he had with local law enforcement.

Makah Tribal Chairman TJ Greene told KONP radio on Friday that no one reported Hunter missing. Tribal law enforcement instead noticed a car that had sat at the trailhead for an unusual length of time. 

Greene said an operator at one of the tribe's recreation permit booths reported an unusual incident involving the second man and notified law enforcement, who checked the trail and found his vehicle parked in an odd spot in the lot. He never came back for it.

Neah Bay Public Safety contacted the Sheriff's Office on July 22 about two people unaccounted for at the trailhead. 

Deputies launched a multi-agency response the next day, and Neah Bay Public Safety posted closure signs and set up a road block stopping public traffic in and out.

Who searched

Ground search teams, technical rescue personnel, K9 teams, marine resources and aviation support were deployed across the two days, the Sheriff's Office said.

Participating agencies included Olympic National Park Service, Makah Natural Resource Enforcement, Clallam County Search and Rescue, the Washington State Department of Corrections Incident Response Team, Neah Bay Fire & EMS, the U.S. Coast Guard and Neah Bay Public Safety, according to the Sheriff's Office. 

K9 teams came from Kitsap County, Pierce County and the Mason County German Shepherd Rescue Team. The FBI and Clallam County detectives supported the effort.

What happens now

The Sheriff's Office thanked the agencies, volunteers and community members who took part and said its thoughts remain with both families.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Jeffrey R. Hunter or Florin Anghel Grigoriu is asked to call Clallam County Dispatch at 360-417-2459.