MOLALLA, Ore. — MOLALLA, Ore. - Search and rescue crews found the body of a missing Salem woman on Sunday afternoon, police said.
No foul play is suspected in her death, but police continue to investigate the case.
Amber Jayne Eldridge, 35, was reported missing Saturday. She had left Molalla around 5:45 p.m. Friday and told friends she was returning to Salem.
She never arrived. Her vehicle was found on South Sawtell Road in the Santiam State Forest about 15 miles south of Molalla.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said that a friend reported getting a message from Eldridge late Friday night saying she had driven her one-year-old granddaughter to the secluded area.
The friend rushed to the spot and found the car with heater running and lights on, the baby inside, and Eldridge missing, police said. That's when authorities were contacted.
Search and rescue crews from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Pacific Northwest Search & Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, Mountain Wave and the Lance County Sheriff's Office looked for Eldridge in the area where her vehicle was found.
Her body was found about 700 feet from her vehicle in steep terrain, dense with trees and underbrush.
The cause of her death is still under investigation.