Missing Stanford professor located with help of hikers in Olympic National Park
STANFORD, Calif. - UPDATE ON JUNE 11, 2023 AT 11:49 AM- The Stanford professor who went missing last week while backpacking in Olympic National Park has been found.
Hunter Fraser had been missing since Wednesday and park officials posted an update Saturday night that said he "self-rescued via the Dosewallips River Trail with the assistance of other hikers."
Fraser was driven to Quilcene, Washington where his family, park personnel, and medical responders met him.
He had planned to be back in Seattle on June 7 after a 40-mile hike but was reported overdue by a family member later that day.
The search effort included air support, ground teams, and dog teams, many of which were volunteers. In all, there were approximately 90 search and rescue personnel involved, authorities said.
Original Story
A Stanford biology professor who faces domestic violence charges has gone missing while hiking at Olympic National Park in Washington.
Hunter Bryan Fraser left on a 40-mile hike Monday morning and has not returned, according to the Clallam County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff was notified by park officials of the overdue hiker Wednesday at 6:17 p.m. and began an extensive search at Deer Ridge Trail, where Fraser's car was parked.
The 44-year-old was expected to stay over two nights and return to Seattle Wednesday, authorities said. He was last seen west of Deer Park Campground Monday afternoon by Olympic National Park personnel, and his exact route is unknown.
The family's last contact with him was via text Tuesday morning.
Fraser faces felony domestic violence charges stemming from last summer. He allegedly threw a woman identified as his girlfriend on the ground and later slammed a door into her while playing a game with her and Fraser’s daughter July 4, according to the Stanford Daily.
In November the charge was raised from a misdemeanor to a felony at a Palo Alto Courthouse hearing.
Fraser is an extremely experienced solo hiker and left with a well-supplied gray backpack (not the red one in the picture above), and a teal 1-person Mountain Hardware "Solitude" tent, authorities said.
He is 6’4" tall, trim build and typically wears glasses.
According to Stanford University, Fraser earned his undergraduate from M.I.T. and his graduate degree from U.C. Berkeley. His field of interest at Stanford is evolution of gene expression, integrating experiments and computation.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked notify Clallam County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 360-417-2459.
