Body of Seattle deputy fire chief found after two-week search

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Sunday that the body of Seattle Deputy Fire Chief Jay Schreckengost was found near Cliffdell in unincorporated Yakima County.

The sheriff’s office said there was “no preliminary evidence of suspicious activity or foul play.”

Schreckengost left on Tuesday, Nov. 2, to scout for elk. Law enforcement say his body was discovered about a half mile from where his pickup truck was parked the day he left.

The sheriff’s office notified Schreckengost’s family and the Seattle Fire Department that he had been found. His family and members of the Seattle Fire Department escorted Chief Schreckengost to Johnston and Williams funeral home in Ellensburg with a coroner.

“We’re saddened to give news of Chief Schreckengost’s passing to his family and fellow firefighters, and we ask the public and press to respect their privacy as they grieve his loss,” said Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers. “We also want to thank everyone who participated in or supported this search. It was a tremendous outpouring of resources and effort that produced a vital result: a family knows what happened to their loved one and he can be brought home to them.”

Seattle Fire also released a statement Sunday evening:

This evening, we learned that Seattle Fire Deputy Chief Jay Schreckengost was found deceased in the Cliffdell area where the search has been focused. We are incredibly saddened by this news and are all grieving the loss of one of our own. Deputy Chief Schreckengost was a husband, father and friend to all, and our hearts are with his family right now who have been at the site every day searching alongside search and rescue, fire and law enforcement agencies.

Over the past 12 days since Jay was first reported missing, more than 60 different agencies and 160 SFD members responded to the site, determined to find our beloved member.

We want to acknowledge the tremendous support of the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office in leading the effort to find Jay. They, along with all of the technical teams and search and rescue volunteers, conducted an extensive search that led to today’s discovery. We are grateful, too, for the support of businesses, who provided food and lodging and set up critical radio and cellular networks, and members of the community.

While the outcome is not what we would have hoped, we know that this will bring closure to Jay’s family, friends and colleagues.

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