The family of a young man who went missing near Darrington in Snohomish County last month says it needs help to search for him, renewing a public appeal after weeks without answers. Jacoby Hale, who is 21 years old, has now been missing for 47 days, and his relatives are turning to the wider community in the hope that someone can help bring him home.
Hale was last seen at his grandparents' property on Gold Hill at around 10 a.m. on May 16. He told them he was going to hike north from the property and would return before dark, and he did not take his phone with him. When he failed to come back as planned, concern quickly turned into an urgent search.
Snohomish County Search and Rescue spent several days looking for him in the days that followed but found no sign of him. His mother and grandmother fear that he may have been injured somewhere in the rugged terrain, but with no trace recovered, they have been left without the answers they desperately want. As his mother put it, after so many days the family does not know whether he can still be brought out alive.
The only clue so far has been a grainy trail-camera image taken at 1:50 p.m. that same day, which shows two people in the area. Hale's family says it wants to hear from those individuals to learn whether they saw him, hoping that anyone who was nearby that afternoon might hold a piece of information that could help narrow the search.
With official efforts having come up empty, the family is now asking for assistance to search the surrounding wilderness, including seven old mines in the area. They have specifically called on hunters, mushroom pickers and others who are experienced in moving through dense forest to lend their skills, knowledge of the terrain proving as valuable as manpower in such remote country.
A community search has been organized for July 11 at 9:45 a.m., with volunteers asked to meet at Darrington Town Hall. To help searchers know what to look for, the family has shared a description of what Hale was wearing when he disappeared: an olive or forest green Helly Hansen rain jacket, a two-toned blue, gray and purple zip-up sweater and black Harley-Davidson riding boots. He was also carrying a machete.
Hale's mother has started a GoFundMe to help reimburse volunteers for their efforts, and the family is sharing updates through a Jacoby Hale Facebook page. For those who love him, the priority now is simple: to find out what happened on that May afternoon and to finally bring some certainty to weeks of painful waiting.