The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in locating James D. Harris, a 55-year-old man who has been missing since July 25 and who is considered a vulnerable adult. Harris was last seen in the Maple Falls and Kendall area in the eastern part of Whatcom County.
Harris is described as approximately 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing around 198 pounds. When last seen, he was wearing a black motorcycle jacket, blue jeans, and a camouflage beanie. Three days of active searching by Whatcom County Search and Rescue teams did not result in his location.
What Vulnerable Adult Designation Means
Washington state law defines a vulnerable adult as a person 18 years of age or older who lacks the functional, physical, or mental ability to care for themselves, or who lives in a setting that makes them particularly susceptible to abuse, neglect, or exploitation. When the Sheriff's Office uses this designation in a missing person case, it signals a heightened level of concern about the individual's ability to survive without assistance and a greater urgency in locating them.
The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office coordinates with county Search and Rescue volunteers whenever a missing person case requires field searching. The Search and Rescue program draws on trained volunteers who cover terrain ranging from forested hillsides to river corridors throughout the county. In cases involving vulnerable adults, the urgency of the search is elevated from the start.
The Maple Falls and Kendall Area
Maple Falls and Kendall are small communities located along the North Fork Nooksack River in eastern Whatcom County, roughly 30 to 35 miles east of Bellingham via State Route 542. The area is used as a gateway to Mount Baker recreation and is surrounded by rugged forest, river terrain, and rural properties. During summer months, the corridor sees heavy recreational use, including hiking, camping, and off-road vehicle activity, which can complicate search efforts.
The broad and often dense landscape in this part of the county presents real challenges for search teams. River access points, logging roads, trailheads, and dispersed camping areas all provide places where someone could be located but are difficult to search systematically.
How to Help
Anyone who has seen James Harris or has any information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately. The Sheriff's Office is treating this as an active missing person case. Even a small sighting or detail, such as seeing someone matching his description at a trailhead, campground, gas station, or rural road, could help investigators narrow down where to focus search efforts.
The public is encouraged to check outbuildings, barns, or wooded areas on private property in the Maple Falls and Kendall corridor if they notice anything out of the ordinary. Businesses along SR 542 with outdoor surveillance cameras may also want to review footage from around July 25 and contact the Sheriff's Office if they see anything relevant.
Whatcom County's Search and Rescue program has conducted hundreds of missions in the county's eastern foothills and mountain zones over the years. For more on how the program works and how to support it, visit the Whatcom County website. Residents can also sign up for emergency notifications through WhatcomReady to receive alerts about public safety situations in their area. For related coverage of safety conditions in eastern Whatcom County, including current wildfire and air quality updates, see the latest air quality and fire reports here.
