Remains likely missing woman’s

STEVENSON, Wash. – Searchers found skeletal remains and jewelry in an area of Gifford Pinchot National Forest where a California woman was last seen during a peace rally last summer, authorities said Monday.

Information on when and where the remains were found was not released, but several extensive searches of the area have been made for any sign of Marie Hanson, a 54-year-old South Lake Tahoe, Calif., woman whose family reported her missing July 9.

Searchers were seeking any other evidence that might link the remains and jewelry to Hanson, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said.

“We are hopeful but not jumping to any conclusions at this point,” Undersheriff Dave Cox said in a statement.

Hanson made a spur-of-the-moment decision to travel with her neighbors to the annual gathering of the Rainbow Family of Living Light. Hanson, a grandmother of two who cares for her disabled husband, had never before attended the event. Her family reported her missing after neighbors called and said they had not seen her for days.