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Ground search for missing Astoria woman suspended

Surveillance videos show Maya Sanders, 29, walking onto a pier but not returning to shore, according to law enforcement officials.
Credit: Astoria Police Department
Maya Sanders, missing woman from Burnside, last seen in Astoria, Oregon on March 12, 2019.

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Clatsop County Search and Rescue team has suspended its ground search for a missing Astoria woman.

Surveillance videos show Maya Sanders, 29, walking onto a pier but not returning to shore, according to law enforcement officials.

Search teams will continue to search the shore line and the Clatsop County Marine Patrol will continue to look for Sanders in the area over the next couple of weeks, authorities said.

Sanders was reported missing by her mother at around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

On Wednesday, citizens provided surveillance videos that placed her in the North Tongue Point industrial area about 3 p.m. Monday. She was alone, according to Deputy Police Chief Eric Halverson.

A search dog picked up her scent and followed it to the end of a pier.

“Based on this information there is a strong probability that she went into the water," said Halverson.

A drone with heat-seeking ability did not find anything unusual.

Until Sanders is found, she will still be listed in a national database as a missing person, Halverson said.

"Please keep Maya’s family and friends in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time," Halverson said.

Earlier reports placed her at around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, crossing Marine Drive at 16th Street. Police says she may have been walking eastbound toward her home in the Burnside area.

Police say they found some of her belongings at 6th Street and located a scarf near the Comfort Suites on the Riverwalk.

Sanders has disabilities that could put her at higher risk if she’s not found, police said. She was not dressed for the cold weather and did not have her cellphone.

She's about 5-foot-9 and 130 pounds, and was last seen wearing a long shirt that was black, white and green. She was wearing pink shoes.

If you saw Sanders or know where she is, please call Astoria police at 503-325-4411.

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