Baker County, OR – The Baker County Sheriff’s Office reported a missing person incident at Phillips Reservoir on January 25, following a concerning discovery of an empty chair and a large opening in the ice. The missing individual was identified as 69-year-old Mark Norenberg from Granite, Oregon.
The incident came to light around 2:53 p.m. when a call was made to the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch. The caller, who was at the reservoir, noticed an unattended chair on the ice near an open hole, along with a vehicle and a dog at the nearby boat ramp but no sign of the owner.
Deputy Teixeira of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and found the vehicle and dog described in the call. However, his initial search for the owner yielded no results. The investigation quickly determined that the vehicle belonged to Norenberg.
The Baker County Search and Rescue team was immediately deployed to the reservoir. Deputy Robb, donning a dry suit and attached to a rope system, was dispatched across the ice with a rescue raft. During his effort to reach the location, about 35 yards from shore, Deputy Robb unexpectedly fell through the ice. While submerged, he found several items belonging to Norenberg. The SAR Ropes Team successfully pulled Deputy Robb back to safety.
Recovery efforts for Norenberg are set to continue on Saturday, January 27, led by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue teams. Norenberg’s family is also involved in the operation. The Sheriff’s Office has requested the public to avoid the area during the search.
In light of the incident, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office is urging the community to exercise extreme caution while ice fishing, especially due to the current unsafe ice conditions caused by unseasonably warm weather.
