TYEE, Ore. – A Drain couple was killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash discovered over the Memorial Day weekend on Weyerhaeuser timber property west of the unincorporated community of Tyee, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO).
Authorities identified the victims as 55-year-old Anthony W. Forbes and 50-year-old Mandi S. Forbes. The crash was reported to 911 around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 24, though investigators believe it likely occurred earlier that morning.
A hunter scouting the remote area spotted the crash site from a distance and used satellite-assisted Text-to-911 to alert emergency responders. Deputies arriving on scene located tire and skid marks on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roadway that led them to a steep embankment.
Using ropes to descend approximately 215 feet, deputies found the bodies of the two victims. Investigators say both had been ejected from their vehicle, a 1986 Suzuki Samurai, which continued to roll another 300 feet before coming to rest in a ravine—roughly 500 feet from the road.
Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, the sheriff’s office said. Evidence collected at the scene confirmed the couple had a valid permit to access the Weyerhaeuser property.
While the investigation remains ongoing, DCSO officials stated that alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the fatal incident.
