Search continues for missing McCloud man; 70 volunteers comb area for mountain biker

The search for a mountain biker missing in McCloud continued into its fifth day Sunday.

Terry Knight, 66, went missing Wednesday, June 22, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team and others have been looking for him ever since.

The search intensified with, as of last Sunday, 10 ground teams, three K-9 teams, and numerous off-road vehicle teams searching near Mud Creek, north of the McCloud Mill. There were at least 50 search and rescue members from various California and Oregon counties.

A helicopter from the California Highway Patrol's Northern Division Air Operations has been using the baseball field at McCloud High School to land and take off in its search.

"The school has been our Incident Command Center for the last few days, housing more than 70 volunteers from more than 13 county search and rescue teams," the sheriff's office said over the weekend.

Air crews were flying grid routes while ground crews searched around the McCloud Mill.

"Any use of infrared technology is difficult due to the dense tree canopy. However, all possible methods and tools are being used in the search efforts to locate Mr. Knight," the sheriff's office said.

Last Thursday, a deputy was able to locate surveillance video of Knight going north on Broadway Avenue in McCloud at 9:12 a.m. Wednesday. He was last seen riding a blue Giant mountain bike that has large gravel tires and orange accents, the sheriff's office said.

Knight's wife saw the video and positively identified the man as being her husband. She previously told deputies that she last saw him at their home off McCloud Avenue before she went to work Wednesday.

"The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County Sheriff Oregon and California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) are assisting the SCSO with search efforts," the sheriff's office said.

Authorities say Knight has a heart condition and that he didn't take his cell phone with him nor a GPS device.

Search teams were looking for Knight in heavily forested areas and on unmarked and unmapped trails. They were on foot, riding mountain bikes and driving ATVs. They're also using a drone.

"Close friends of Mr. Knight also came out to search and brought his dog, hoping to pick up a scent. Unfortunately, he was not located," the sheriff's office said Thursday.

Knight's friends told deputies that he's an experienced bike rider and is familiar with the area.

"He is extremely capable for his age and it is unlikely he would end up lost," the friends told deputies.

Anyone with information on Knight is asked to call the sheriff's office dispatch center at (530) 841-2900.

Mike Chapman is an award-winning reporter and photographer for the Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif. His newspaper career spans Yreka and Eureka in Northern California and Bellingham, Wash. Support local journalism by subscribing today.