The search began the following morning, September 14, at first light. A team of forest rangers, search-and-rescue volunteers, and a K9 unit assembled at the Lewis River Trailhead. The operation was coordinated by the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the United States Forest Service. According to the official operation log, the first objective was to retrace the sisters’ planned route and locate their campsite near Bolt Creekd
The weather on the day of the search was clear, which allowed the helicopter team to conduct aerial surveys of thef surrounding terrain. However, the dense canopy made it difficult to see the ground in most areas. The forest in this region isk composed primarily of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and red cedar, with an understory of ferns, salal, and vine maple. Visibility from above was limited to clearings, riverbanks, and rocky outcroppings. The ground teams moved methodically along the trail, checking for signs of recent activity: footprints, discarded wrappers, broken branches, anything that might indicate the sisters had passed through.
By midday, the team reached the area near Bolt Creek where the Harlow sisters were believed to have camped. They found a clearing that showed signs of recent use: a fire ring with charred wood, flattened sections of ground where a tent might have been pitched, and several small impressions in the dirt that could have been left by hiking boots. However, there was no tent, no backpacks, and no other camping equipment. The forensic team that later examined the site noted in their report that the fire ring appeared to have been used within the past few days, but the wood was cold and damp, suggesting that no fire had been lit recently.
The search expanded outward from the campsite in a grid pattern. Volunteers combed through the undergrowth, calling out the sisters’ names and listening for any response. The K9 units picked up a scent trail leading away from the clearing, but it dissipated after a few hundred yards near a rocky slope where the terrain became difficult to navigate. Over the next several days, the search area was widened to include adjacent trails, creek beds, and abandoned logging roads. Divers were brought in to search sections of the Lewis River where the current was slow enough to allow for submersion. Nothing was found. No clothing, no equipment, no traces of the sisters.
By the end of the first week, more than 200 volunteers had participated in the search. Local news outlets covered the story extensively, and the Harlow family issued public appeals for information. Photographs of Nina and Rebecca were distributed to nearby towns, campgrounds, and ranger stations. The sisters were described as friendly, experienced hikers who would not have taken unnecessary risks. The lack of any tangible leads was frustrating for everyone involved.
On September 21, 11 days after the sisters were last seen, the active search was officially scaled back. The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement explaining that while the case remained open, the deployment of large search teams was no longer sustainable without new information. The family was devastated, but they understood the limitations of the resources available. Deputy Finch assured them that the investigation would continue and that any new evidence would be pursued immediately.
Weeks turned into months. The case file remained on Finch’s desk, but there were no new developments. The Honda CR-V was still parked at the trailhead, untouched and undisturbed. Investigators had searched the vehicle thoroughly, finding nothing unusual: personal items, spare clothes, a cooler with melted ice, and a road map with the route to the trailhead highlighted in yellow. Everything suggested a normal, planned trip.
As October gave way to November, the forest began to change. The leaves turned golden red, then fell. The temperature dropped, and the first light snows dusted the higher elevations. The Harlow family continued their own search efforts, organizing weekend expeditions with friends and volunteers. They posted flyers, maintained a social media page dedicated to finding Nina and Rebecca, and contacted every outdoor group and hiking club in the region. But the forest offered no answers. It was as if the sisters had simply vanished into the trees, leaving behind only questions and a growing sense of dread.
3 months passed in silence. Winter settled over the Gifford Pinchot National Forest with a heavy blanket of snow that made most trails impassable. The search for Nina and Rebecca Harlow had gone cold, not just in terms of leads, but literally. The temperatures in December 2021 regularly dropped below freezing, and the forest became a place that only the most experienced winter hikers dared to enter. The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office kept the case file active, but with no new information and no credible sightings, there was little that could be done until the spring thaw. Deputy Lawrence Finch reviewed the file periodically, hoping that something new would surface, but each review ended the same way, with more questions than answers.
The Harlow family refused to give up hope. Patricia Harlow spent her days coordinating with missing persons organizations, consulting with private investigators, and reaching out to psychics and volunteers who claimed they could help. She posted updates on social media every week, keeping the story alive in the public consciousness. Rebecca’s students at the elementary school made drawings and cards that were displayed in the front office, each one a small prayer for her safe return. Nina’s coworkers held a candlelight vigil in downtown Portland, drawing attention from local media and keeping pressure on authorities to continue the search.
But as December turned into January, even the most optimistic supporters began to fear the worst. The chances of surviving 3 months in the wilderness, especially during winter, were extraordinarily slim. Hypothermia, starvation, exposure, wild animals: the list of dangers was long and unforgiving. Some volunteers quietly stopped attending the search meetings. Some family friends began to speak in the past tense when referring to the sisters. The unspoken consensus was that Nina and Rebecca were gone, and that when spring came, the forest would give up their remains.
But the forest had other plans. On the morning of December 14, 2021, a wildlife biologist named Gordon Pace was conducting a routine survey of elk migration patterns in a remote section of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. His work required him to travel off trail into areas that were rarely visited by the public. He was equipped with GPS tracking equipment, a camera with a telephoto lens, and several days’ worth of supplies.
According to his official report, he had been walking through a dense section of old-growth forest roughly 4 miles northeast of the Lewis River Trail when he noticed something unusual. At first, he thought it was a pair of mannequins: 2 figures standing upright against a massive Douglas fir tree, their bodies motionless, their heads slumped forward. The scene was so strange and out of place that Pace initially assumed it was some kind of art installation or a prank left behind by other hikers. But as he approached, the details became clearer and more disturbing.
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