The Umatilla Tribal Police Department is actively seeking the public’s help to find a missing 71-year-old man from Oregon. They are urging residents with road-facing cameras to review their footage for any clues.
Detective William Morris of the UTPD has called on individuals who reside between Short Mile Road and Cayuse Road, encompassing River Road, as well as those from Cayuse Road to Bingham Road on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, to check their camera recordings for any relevant information.
According to KATU, Wesley Dixon Jones, aged 71, was last spotted on October 5. Surveillance footage captured Jones in a vehicle traveling east on Short Mile Road at around 3:15 p.m. on that day.
The vehicle, a 2003 gray Ford Escape with Oregon license plate SM15454, was later seen traveling back west, notably without Jones.
Jones, who belongs to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is described as a Native American man, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing approximately 140 pounds, with brown eyes and long black hair.
At the time he went missing, he was wearing a distinctive black and red Tiger Scout jacket, along with a black shirt, black sweatpants, and boots.
“It is an open investigation, and we’re treating it as a criminal investigation because that’s still a possibility,” Morris stated in a press release.
“We are still actively searching for Wesley Jones, and because this is an open investigation, we are unable to share certain specific steps we are taking. We continue to rule out possibilities as we gather more information.”
Two searches have been conducted along the Umatilla River with K9s and drones by UTPD and the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, officials say. Jones’ family has also participated in the search.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation stated Friday that the MMIW Search & Hope Alliance will be at the Umatilla Indian Reservation next weekend to assist in the search for Jones with specialty equipment.
The equipment will help in searching “the deep pockets of the water.”
If you have footage of the area in question, or you have information regarding the case, you are encouraged to contact the UTPD at 541-278-0550 or Morris at 541-969-7139.
[Feature Photo via Umatilla Tribal Police Department]
