The search for a missing Grande Ronde tribal elder continued over the weekend.
63-year-old Jonathan House of Eugene disappeared in mid-March after leaving a crashed truck in the Coast Range foothills west of Junction City.
Given the amount of time that’s passed, as well as heavy patches of cold and rainy weather, prospects are dim that House is still alive.
Last known whereabouts
House was said to be upset when he drove off from home, and informational flyers say he would sometimes do this before shortly returning. But in a Register-Guard story, his partner, Angela Barrett, said that after being in touch with him for a few days, she received a “distressing” call from him on March 15. She said House sounded injured, but it wasn’t clear what he was saying. His phone died shortly afterwards.
House's truck was found at the 25600 block of Hall Road near Cheshire. Lane County Sheriff's Office deputies recovered the vehicle, and believe House remained in the general area for several days. Their search efforts have included K-9 units and drones.
This weekend, personnel with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and volunteers with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Search & Hope Alliance coordinated an extensive search around Dancing Deer Mountain.
In a release issued March 31, the LCSO said search efforts over the past nine days have included five days of aerial drone searches by deputies, four days of K-9 searches, six days of ground searches, and a day of Eugene Mountain Rescue assisting in some of the more treacherous areas.
The LCSO release goes on to say that their efforts have spanned a large, rugged expanse complicated by steep terrain and dense vegetation. This included 50 miles of roadways, about 500 acres by ground, and far more area with drones.
"Deputies and detectives have also spent about 40 hours analyzing cell phone data and combing through area security and game camera photos and videos," the LCSO says. They thanked the FBI, MMIW Search & Hope Alliance, and Lane Fire Authority for allowing their Search and Rescue (SAR) team to use their fire station as a base of operations.
Volunteer Bill Barnard covered almost 800 acres with his drone, which is a high-end model with six cameras and 90 minutes of flight time.
“The Sheriff’s Office was kind enough to share the coordinates of the last cell phone ping,” Barnard told KLCC. “Unfortunately, that indicated that he didn’t progress towards town or towards a road. It actually indicated that he headed deeper into the forest.”
Barnard said that he scanned the designated area for four hours, and is still reviewing images. His drone has a thermal camera that can pick up heat signatures, and has 300x optical zoom with high resolution.
“I’m looking at sticks on the ground as if I was standing directly over them.”
Hurdles
At the same time, the terrain and locals have posed their own special challenges.
Barnard said much of the area is steep, rugged, and is home to bears, cougars, and elk. Additionally, there are random items like clothing that may be clues, or simply discarded items hikers have lost in the wilderness.
Much of the search also covered areas with private property, and Barnard said often people were paranoid when approached by volunteers or him with his drone.
“With propellers the size of my arms, flying over at low altitude, trying to take pictures,” he explained. “They also get weird about a lot of people asking to walk through the back of their property or asking about their fence line. There’s really not anything that’s friendly on this search.”
Dedicated to discovery
“We’re not going to stop looking for him. He’s out there, somewhere,” said Kim Lining. She organized the volunteer search for her group, MMIW Search & Hope Alliance, based in Portland. Given the time and elements, she acknowledged that it’s looking dire for House.
“We’re looking for his body, his remains," she said. "The family is very understanding and thankful, and really great.”
Like Barnard, Lining says there are many obstacles in the terrain where House disappeared.
“The frustrating part is a lot of hunters dump their bones from their hunt or the carcass of animals there in the forest,” she said. And she’s also hoping to get more members of the Native/Indigenous communities involved in searching for missing tribal members.
“It’s so crucial that every single community understands that without urgent sustained efforts, the Indigenous/First Nations people run the risk of not existing anymore," she said. "We are disappearing at an alarming rate.”
Lining said it’s rare that the LCSO coordinated with her group on this latest search, and appreciates the support. She added that Barnard’s drone work and the help of another volunteer, Jason Shifflett on past searches, have been invaluable.
"As a non-Native ally, I volunteer to help bring awareness to the MMIW/P crisis by actively participating in search and rescue efforts," Shifflett wrote in an email to KLCC. "We’re all human, and when someone goes missing, it’s about doing what we can to help bring them home. Too many Indigenous people are overlooked, and I believe it’s important for everyone, regardless of background, to step up and help when they can."
Lining said the House case came to her attention through Ampkwa Advocacy based in Grand Ronde, a recently-launched organization headed by Amanda Freeman, another MMIW/MMIP advocate.
Next steps
MMIW Search & Hope Alliance will continue to recruit volunteers for continued searches for House and others in the region.
Jonathan House is described as a 5’10” man with gray hair, moustache and stubble, weighing between 150-180 lbs. and with blue eyes. He was last seen wearing glasses, a black hooded coat, t-shirt, blue jeans, and work boots.
Officials says anyone with information on House can call the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 682-4141. The case number is LCSO #25-1277.
Copyright 2025, KLCC.
