Search called off for Rainier School student missing in woods near Buckley
The search has been called off for a developmentally disabled Rainier School student who went missing Friday in a wooded area near Buckley.
More than 100 people spent three days looking for Joel A. Wellman, 29, who is believed to have walked away from a residential rehabilitation center.
He was last seen about 6 p.m. Friday, before a large storm swept through the region.
“We are truly devastated by our client’s disappearance,” said Megan DeSmet, Rainier School superintendent. “While we remain hopeful he will return safely, our thoughts are with Joel’s family, friends and the staff at Rainier School who support him.”
Wellman’s sweatshirt was found on a logging road 1 1/2 miles to the south of the school. The school, in the 2100 block of Ryan Road East, borders timber lands that eventually reach Mount Rainier National Park, five miles to the south.
He likes to run and hide and might be hiding from searchers, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
Searchers scoured the woods and a thick marshy area, to no avail.
Wellman might still be wearing a green shirt, blue jeans and black tennis shoes.
He is described as white, 6-feet-1 and 225 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
The Department of Social and Health Services said it will conduct its own investigation as to how Wellman was able to walk away from the school.
Rainier School is a rehabilitation center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There are 310 adult students, according to DSHS.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
