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86 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 1, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 24, 2004 Missing motorcyclist found dead By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Searchers found the body of a motorcyclist in the John’s Peak area Tuesday morning about 11 hours after he was reported missing. Stephen Albert McCallister, 37, of the 300 block of Howard Street, Medford, was riding near Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road when his Kawasaki motorcycle went off a 50-foot embankment on a hillside, Jackson County sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett said. McCallister was riding with a friend Monday in the area of western Jackson County popular with off-road enthusiasts. The friend waited for him to return and organized a search party of friends when he didn’t come back Monday evening. They called the sheriff’s office shortly after midnight when they were unable to find McCallister, Puckett said. Deputies and a search-and-rescue team looked in the area during the early hours Tuesday. They returned in the morning for an expanded search in the daylight, Puckett said. About 30 people walking, on all-terrain vehicles, on horseback and in a helicopter combed the hillsides. Advertisement The helicopter — piloted by Randy Jones, who volunteered to aid in the search — spotted McCallister and the bike about two miles up Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road off Highway 238 near Jacksonville around 11 a.m. Searchers on the ground then went to retrieve his body. A deputy medical examiner came to the scene and the case is under investigation, Puckett said. Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives is handling arrangements. This was the second search mounted for McCallister this year. McCallister disappeared Jan. 15 while snowboarding with friends on Mount Ashland. His borrowed car left the ski hill parking lot, prompting authorities to call off the search. They then resumed it when he didn’t return home that night. He hiked down the mountain, emerging from the forest above Ashland Jan. 17. An acquaintance had driven the car off the mountain without permission. After being checked at Providence Medford Medical Center after his snowy ordeal, McCallister was jailed on a warrant charging him with possession of methamphetamine. Also, friends reported his home was burglarized while he was gone. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times