Active search suspended for missing woman near Portland
Allyson Watterson's mother says: 'I will never stop looking for you'
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The active search operation was suspended Saturday evening for a 20-year-old woman missing since last Sunday, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said.
"The decision to suspend that phase of the investigation was made after the search and rescue teams spent thousands of search hours covering an area of about 1,600 acres," the sheriff's office said in a news release updating the search for Allyson Watterson.
Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Watterson's disappearance, they said. If new information comes to light or new areas to search are identified, the search and rescue teams may be recalled to continue their efforts.
Her boyfriend claims they were separated while hiking and her mother says the couple got lost after their car broke down in the area. But investigators have said there's no evidence to support either of those accounts, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
“Allyson, I will never stop looking for you,” her mother, Misty said, on Saturday evening, KGW reported. “I would like to ask everyone else not to stop looking, either. She is a very special girl, and she deserves to be looked for.”
On Saturday, 75 to 100 trained searchers were out in North Plains for much of the day. Deputies “chased down some other things that were concerning for us,” Deputy Tony Morris said.
The sheriff's office reminded the public that the entire search area is private property, meaning members of the general public would be trespassing if they attempted to search on their own unless they had specific permission from each property owner.
On Sunday, Dec. 22, a homeowner who lives north of North Plains saw Watterson just before noon with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Benjamin Garland. That remains the last confirmed time Ms. Watterson was seen.
Early on Monday, another homeowner in the area found Garland in the homeowner’s truck. That evening, Garland’s father called dispatch around 5:30 p.m. to report Watterson missing, a gap of about 30 hours since she was last seen.
Deputies immediately responded to the area to begin searching for Watterson. Deputies found a truck which they soon learned was stolen.
A short time later, deputies found Garland nearby and took him into custody. He was arrested for unrelated theft and fraud charges, unrelated warrants, and charges related to the stolen truck. Deputies said he remains in custody and has also since been charged with violating his probation for prior convictions.
The initial report was that the pair were hiking in the area when Watterson went missing, but investigators said Friday they now don't not believe that to be true. Detectives are continuing to investigate where Watterson and Garland may have been from Dec. 21 to Dec. 23.
According to officials, Garland gave information that has been helpful to the search. Detective Mark Povolny did not label Garland as a suspect or person of interest in the case.
The sheriff’s office thanked the many people and organizations who helped with the search, including the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, North Oregon Regional Search and Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, volunteer searchers, Army National Guard, City of North Plains, Hillsboro School District, North Plains Elementary School, Home Depot, Subway, Krispy Kreme, and members of the community for donations of food, supplies, and time.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 503-846-2700.
