3 Hikers, 3 Separate Disappearances in National Park

All three men in their 20s vanished on different days in Mount Rainier NP
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 29, 2020 7:21 AM CDT

Three hikers have gone missing in Washington state's Mount Rainier National Park in three unrelated incidents. Per CNN, the first hiker to vanish was Vincent Djie, a 25-year-old Indonesian student living in Seattle, who was reported missing on June 19. A National Park Service release notes that Djie was last seen that day hiking the Van Trump Trail toward Mildred Point, and that his vehicle has since been located within the park. He was last seen wearing a blue-and-white tie dye shirt and black pants. Meanwhile, Seattle resident Talal Sabbagh, 27, was last seen hiking in the Paradise section of the park on June 21; park staff found his vehicle in the Paradise parking area. He was last seen wearing black shorts, a light blue shirt with a black jacket, and dark-colored Nike footwear.

The most recent man to go missing is 28-year-old Matthew Bunker, who was reported missing Friday by his climbing partner in the Liberty Ridge part of the park, known for "frequent avalanches and active rockfall," per an NPS release. Six climbers died in that section in 2014. Bunker had been skiing down the slope ahead of his partner near Thumb Rock when he "was believed to have fallen in the steep terrain," the release notes. The Seattle Times reports Bunker is an Army veteran, outdoor photographer, and Deloitte consultant who once worked as a mountaineering guide. Helicopter searches for Bunker have been hampered by severe winds and cloud cover and temporarily called off until the weather clears. The NPS is coordinating with rescue groups and the families of the other two men in search efforts for them. (More hikers stories.)

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