Account
Jan 28, 2026
Jan 28, 2026
Nathan
Richard Hiatt
80
80
5'10 inches
160 lbs
White
Male
In the midst of a severe and historic flood on December 3, 2007, an 80-year-old man named Nathan Richard Hiatt, who went by his middle name Richard, vanished from his home in Winlock, Washington. A retired Weyerhaeuser dock worker, Richard was last seen in his own backyard on Byham Road. That day, heavy rains were causing major flooding throughout the area, a natural disaster so significant that it required the rescue of 500 people. The basement of the home Richard shared with his wife, Mary Ann, had begun to take on water, and it's believed he went outside to check on the sump pump's outflow line. He was never heard from again, leaving his family with unending questions and the pain of an unresolved loss. The morning of his disappearance began with a simple coffee visit with his son. Shortly after his son returned to his own home just ten minutes away, he found a harrowing message from his father on his answering machine. In a voice described as panicky, Richard’s message was just three words: "I need help". His son immediately drove back to his parents' house, but by the time he arrived, his father was gone. The theory held by authorities is that Richard likely fell into Waller's Creek, which ran through a deep ravine behind his property and had become a raging torrent due to the relentless rain. This belief is supported by the discovery of a section of the creek's bank that had caved in, a collapse likely caused by the saturated ground. In the days and years that followed, extensive searches were conducted by authorities and family members who were desperate for answers. Search parties, including dozens of divers and dog teams, scoured Waller's Creek and Olequa Creek, but their efforts yielded very little. During the search, a man's coat was found, which Richard's son and daughter-in-law believed belonged to him, though his wife did not recognize it. The family's heartache was immense; his grandchildren walked the waterways for miles, searching for any sign of him, be it a watch or a ring. Two weeks after he went missing, his family, accepting the grim reality, published a death announcement in the local paper. The case of Nathan Richard Hiatt remains that of a lost and presumed drowned individual, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather whose body has never been recovered, swept away in a moment by the devastating force of nature.
Dec 03, 2007
Winlock
Washington
Winlock
Winlock Police Departmen
360-785-3891
06/05/2026
