“Missing” Corps of Engineers contractor found safe

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor was found safe in Umatilla Thursday night after she was reported missing.

Sgt. Bob Brockman with the Benton County Sheriff's Office said there are two female contractors, one from New York, the other from Virginia, who have been in the region for about three months doing wildlife research for the Corps, collecting data for the agency.

One of the co-workers last contacted the other woman at about 11:00 a.m. Thursday, but wasn't able to get in touch with her after that. The missing woman was last known to be working in the Umatilla area.

Deputies with the Benton County Sheriff's Office checked Crow Butte and other areas near Plymouth to try locating the woman, but weren't able to locate her.

At about 11:00 p.m. the missing contractor was able to get a message to her co-worker through Facebook Messenger. She advised that she had dropped her cell phone in the river at one point during the day, and so was unable to call or text.