Mom of Seattle hiker missing nearly a week: 'She needs to know we’re coming'
VERLOT, Wash. – The search continues for a Seattle woman missing in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Samantha Sayers, 27, has been missing for nearly one week. She never returned after what was supposed to be a day hike last Wednesday to Vesper Peak.
Rescue crews from across the region continue searching from the land and air. Sayer’s mother and family is also in the area from Pennsylvania waiting for good news.
Lisa Sayers tells Q13 News her daughter is an avid, experienced hiker who shouldn’t have any problem being forced to stay in the wilderness overnight.
But now that the search has taken several days, Lisa says she’s holding onto hope and praying for a good outcome.
“This is a necklace we gave her,” she said, “It’s a compass and it’s going to stay on until my baby comes home."
Lisa keeps her daughter’s compass close to her heart – for now it’s all she can hold on to while hikers scour the Snoqualmie-Mount Baker National Forest looking for signs of her daughter.
“We’re here to keep boots on the ground and make sure we’re going to find her because we’re going to find her,” said Lisa.
Samantha’s family they planned to visit the command post at the Big Four Ice Caves, where search and rescue teams from across Washington state have been launching their search efforts. But it’s hard to find a chopper through the trees, let alone a single hiker from the air.
“Do we have our moments of sadness, yes,” admitted Lisa. “This is the most painful thing I’ve gone through and I’ve been through cancer. I would go through cancer again instead of this.”
Family and friends on social media keep their hopes high with reports of other hikers having seen Samantha days earlier. Vespar Peak and Spada Lake are now the areas of focus for search and rescue crews.
It’s the outpouring of support of friends and the relentless efforts of search teams that keep Samantha’s mother in good spirits.
“She’s going to feel that energy and stay strong because she’s been out there since August 1st, so she needs to know we’re coming, we’re coming,” said Lisa.