Jared T. Egnew, 21, and his daughter, Madison Egnew, age 22 months, were reported missing on Friday after they failed to return from a drive near the Lyre River Campground, west of Port Angeles.
At about 10 a.m. Saturday, searchers found the blue 1999 Ford Taurus that the father and daughter had driven away in, but no one was in the vehicle.
The car was found stuck along a logging road about five to 10 miles away from the campground, where the father and daughter and the little's girl mother, Kayla A. McComb, had been staying.
"When we find the car abandoned like that, we become worried," Clallam County Undersheriff Ron Peregrin told the Peninsula Daily News. "Now they’re exposed to the elements, and that’s what really kicked our search into a higher gear."
He said a Coast Guard helicopter has joined the search for the missing pair.
Clallam County sheriff's officials said Jared Egnew left the campground at about 11 a.m. Friday to go for a drive with Madison. The little girl had been fussy, and Egnew left, thinking that a drive would calm her down. McComb remained behind at the campground.
Egnew and the baby never returned.
At about 3 p.m., McComb left the campground and went to her nearby grandparents' house and began trying to find Egnew by contacting friends and relatives. Meanwhile, other friends and family members began looking for Egnew and the girl. They were unsuccessful.
Julie Batchelor, McComb's mother, called the Clallam County Sheriff's Department and reported Egnew and the baby missing and overdue at about 8:15 p.m.
Deputies checked with relatives and friends, and also searched the campground, back roads and other areas.
They were unable to locate Egnew and the toddler. But on Saturday morning, they did find the Taurus stuck on a logging road about three miles south of Highway 112, with two undersized temporary spare tires, known as "doughnut tires," on the rear. No one was in the vehicle.
Peregrin said there is no evidence that the mother and father had been fighting before the disappearance.
"It did not appear that there was any kind of dispute. He just took off with the baby because the baby was fussing. He was going to take her for a drive to calm her down. And he never came home," Peregrin told the Peninsula Daily News.
Nick Turner of the Clallam County Sheriff's Office says it appears the couple and their young daughter had been living with a relative in recent weeks and wanted to get away, so they went camping for a few days.
Egnew is described as white, standing about 6 feet tall, weighing 244 pounds, with dark brown shaved or buzz cut hair, and a goatee. He was wearing an AC/DC gray long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans. He reportedly has glaucoma and is ADHD and wears contacts.
The little girl is described as being 33 inches tall, about 26 pounds, with dirty blond shoulder-length hair frequently worn in a ponytail, green or hazel eyes, and pierced ears with colored stone stud earrings. She was wearing a red long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, and red socks.
There were no supplies taken for the little girl.
There is no evidence of foul play or injuries at this time.
Investigators say it's possible that Egnew walked away from the car and got lost. Another theory is that maybe he walked away from the vehicle - and doesn't want to be found.
If anyone has seen or hears of Egnew and Madison, they are asked to call 911.
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