Richard Grayson Drewry, an 85-year-old resident of Garberville, California, was found dead on January 26, 2021. Deputies from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office answered a report of a gunshot victim at about 10:45 a.m. and located Drewry inside a blue 2010 Ford Explorer, California plate PHOODIS, parked along Bell Springs Road near Island Mountain Road. Deputies attempted lifesaving measures but he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. An autopsy was scheduled and the manner of death was initially undetermined; the case has remained under investigation.

No arrests or suspects have been publicly identified. The death has attracted attention because of possible connections to the illicit marijuana industry operating in parts of rural Humboldt and Mendocino counties, and a documentary titled High Country Murder, released December 2024, examines the case and the challenges of policing remote areas. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office continues to ask anyone with information about Drewry’s activities or the events leading to his death to come forward.