Two U.S. Forest Service employees were safe early Friday morning after being taken hostage while working on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the agency told NSPR.
The employees were doing “field work” in the forest when they were taken, and the agency first learned about the incident about 11 a.m. Thursday, Tom Stokesberry, a spokesperson for the agency, said in an email.
A Forest Service law enforcement officer took the initial call, Stokesberry said.
“We are relieved and grateful,” he said. “Our focus is the well-being of our two employees and their families. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not release identifying details.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was involved and had “direct contact” with FBI Director Kash Patel and the White House to “ensure maximum support to end the crisis with our employees released safely,” Stokesberry said.
Many details around the incident remained unclear Friday morning, including a timeline of events, suspect information and possible motivation.
The Forest Service directed additional questions to the FBI.
The FBI Sacramento office told NSPR in an email that more information was expected to be released Friday afternoon.
The Forest Service said multiple law enforcement agencies were involved, including the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and law enforcement agencies from eight other counties.
“We are grateful to every one of them,” Stokesberry said.
