Sheriff believes lost hunter fell to his death from cliff

ROYAL CITY – An archery hunter who was reported missing after he didn’t return or make contact with his family as of Friday night, Nov. 20, was found dead at around 9:45 a.m. on Nov. 25.

It was a disappointing outcome for the more than 100 people who searched relentlessly for Thomas Mark Stieg of North Bend in sometimes extreme weather conditions. Sheriff Tom Jones expressed their sorrow for a man most of them did not know.

“This is the saddest possible outcome for everyone involved in trying to bring Mr. Stieg home to his family. Our sincerest condolences to his family and friends for their heartbreaking loss.”

“His friends were out here,” said Grant County Sheriff Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. “They were grateful for everything we did.”

According to Foreman, Stieg’s body was found in an area known as Dry Island, along the Saddle Mountains in the Smyrna Valley. It was at the base of a cliff.

“He was two and a half miles southwest of where his pickup was found,” Foreman said.

Foreman said that, when it started to take longer than expected to find Stieg, authorities started to believe he had gone off of one of the many cliffs along the north side of the Saddle Mountains.

Stieg, 55, was described as six feet tall and approximately 180 pounds. He was an avid and experienced hunter and camper.

Stieg reportedly left home at 3 a.m. on Nov. 20 for a one-day hunt. His 2013 Ford F150 pickup was found on Nov. 21 on the mountains, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Stieg’s body was discovered just south of the last known cell phone tower coordinates near Crab Creek. While an official cause of death has not been determined, it does appear that he fell, Jones said.

“There is no indication of foul play,” he added.

Stieg’s body was turned over to the Grant County Coroner’s Office pending an autopsy. His family has been notified.

Foreman said investigators were going to look through the equipment Stieg had with him to see if there might be clues to what happened.

Nearly 100 staff and volunteers from Fairchild AFB, Grant County Search and Rescue, Mounted Posse, Grant County Fire District 10 and 11, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Spokane Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and numerous civilian volunteers answered the call for a search.

“They have been on the ground, on horseback, ATV/ORV since Saturday,” Jones said.

Civilian aircraft volunteered for the search, as well as a helicopter from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and a plane from Fairchild AFB in Spokane.

“Red (Beierle) was out here with his crop duster,” Foreman said. “There was an unbelievable outpouring of volunteers.”