Herald Staff

ARLINGTON — Vehicles believed to be owned by a missing Arlington-area couple were found down an embankment in a remote area near Oso on Thursday, but there is still no word on the pair’s whereabouts.

Patrick Shunn, 45, and his wife, Monique Patenaude, 46, were last seen Monday. It is “very unusual” for them not to be in contact with family, said Shari Ireton, spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

A Jeep and a Land Rover that match those owned by the couple were spotted by crews on SnoHAWK10, the county’s search-and-rescue helicopter in a wooded area near Oso, the sheriff’s office announced Thursday evening.

“Detectives have not yet been able to search the vehicles,” Ireton said. “Both vehicles appear to have gone over an embankment and are located in the same general area of each other.”

Police on Thursday searched the couple’s property for clues. Their home is at the east end of Whitman Road, between Arlington and Darrington.

The couple were scheduled to be in court last week for a hearing regarding an ongoing land dispute with a neighbor. The hearing was later rescheduled for May.

Anyone who has information about the missing pair is asked to call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line at 425-388-3845.

Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the disappearance, Ireton said Thursday.

“We don’t have a suspect or a person of interest at this point,” she said.