MAY 25, 2021
Family Seeks Answers After Missing Oregon Woman Found Dead: ‘It’s Just Not Sinking In’ | Missing | Investigation Discovery
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On Dec. 22, 2019, a homeowner in the North Plains area was the last to see Watterson alive shortly before noon. According to the homeowner, Watterson, 20, and Benjamin Hunter asked if they could use the phone because they had run into car trouble.
After making a call, the pair left.
The homeowner later recalled Hunter was in stockinged feet because he had given Watterson his shoes since she had lost hers.
The following morning, Hunter allegedly
told a second homeowner he got separated from friends, NBC News reported, and the person offered him a ride home.
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In April 2020, between the time Watterson went missing and when her remains were located, Hunter, 22, took a deal and
pleaded guilty to three charges against him unrelated to his girlfriend’s disappearance — unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, fraudulent use of a credit card and second-degree theft, the Washington County district attorney said.
According to law enforcement officials, Hunter admitted to stealing a Ford F-150 several days before Watterson vanished, using another person’s cell phone to order and pay for a ride share, and stealing $700 worth of merchandise from a grocery store.
Hunter was sentenced to three years in state prison and ordered to serve two years of supervision after his release.
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