More than a year after his disappearance, the search for a missing Grand Ronde tribal elder is over.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office said the remains of Jonathan House, 63, were found in a densely overgrown area that had to be cleared with chainsaws and hand tools. County search and rescue personnel and a detective returned to the Hall Road area near Cheshire on Thursday, where House was last seen in March 2025.
House had crashed his truck at the 25600 block of Hall Road, and continued on foot. His partner, Angela Barrett, said he made a “distressing” call to her on March 15, and his phone died shortly afterwards. Multiple searches with dogs, drones and volunteers were conducted in dense and steep terrain, often during cold and damp weather.
Officials said there’s no indication of foul play. In their press release, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office thanked staff, volunteers and organizations that extensively searched for House.
Kimberly Smart, the founder of MMIW Search and Hope Alliance, said her team “put their whole hearts” into the effort.
“That land was extremely unforgiving, with one of our volunteers falling into chest deep freezing waters,” said Smart. “I myself got stuck in the mud and had to have our other volunteers pull me out.”
Smart said House can now be brought home. “May Jonathan House now rest in peace,” she said.
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