OR OR - Brian Page, 16, Salem, 12 Jan 1975

[CipherHuntingFamily]

I’m here right now. Pictures are for location references.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

I’m so torn if this is the vw bug or not, or if it’s even a vw bug.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

More picture from the same end of the vehicle.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

More pictures. We found these items on the rocky shoreline. This could be the black fender.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

Short video

 

[annemc2]

Oh my gosh, CHF - this is so exciting! Thanks for getting out there and doing all of the legwork, as well as sharing it with us!!!

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

I could not find any numbers on the vehicle. I thought about taking my metal detector but it would be hard not getting it wet.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

I joined a few old car parts groups on FB and asked their help in identifying the vehicle parts. I shared with them the middle part in the first picture.

I was told that it was this part. And that is from a '72 VW Beetle.

Are they sure he was in a '62 beetle and not a '72 beetle?

More pictures. We found these items on the rocky shoreline. This could be the black fender.

 

[Explorer2020]

I recently heard about this case roughly two weeks ago. My family and I went hiking yesterday and came across what looked like a Volkswagen Chassis. The GPS Coordinate are 44°50'55"N 122°17'44"W · 1,491 ft. I took pictures of it.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

I recently heard about this case roughly two weeks ago. My family and I went hiking yesterday and came across what looked like a Volkswagen Chassis. The GPS Coordinate are 44°50'55"N 122°17'44"W · 1,491 ft. I took pictures of it.

Wow, what a great find. Is it close to the water? How do you think it got to that location? It was winter when Brian went missing, and the weather was pretty bad that weekend with multiple accidents from ice.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

You could walk out to this spot and see if you could still locate it since you wouldn't need a kayak to get there. The video was taken 8 years ago though, and the chassis is light and in the open, probably visible from the highway 22 bridge. I checked a recent streetview from 2018 on multiple spots on highway 22 and couldn't locate it where the video was taken. That doesn't mean it's not there or that it hasn't moved up the river, where a kayak would be helpful in locating in. It's also possible it's still located on the Minto island and deposited further into the land from high water levels or somebody pulling it up.

It's quite a good lead. I was originally thinking of all the little lakes on State street when I heard that's where David was picked up, but judging where the car dealership was, the Willamette seems much more likely.

This Youtuber also found a VW bug in the Willamette in Portland in 2018 although there is not much information about it.

I did contact him, he is a great guy. But he needs to know if there is a car in the water before he will dive. Unless he stumbles across it removing another car.

 

[Explorer2020]

Wow, what a great find. Is it close to the water? How do you think it got to that location? It was winter when Brian went missing, and the weather was pretty bad that weekend with multiple accidents from ice.

If you go to Google Earth and enter the coordinates scroll above the from the river and the road is above. It’s a pretty treacherous gravel road. My family and I were there four years ago and only a tire stuck out. If there is a full vehicle left it’s buried deep in heavy boulders and gravel.
It is about about an hour to an hour and a half from Salem. The name on the tire is TOYO white walls. I researched the company and they started to produce in the USA back in the 60’s. I am baffled how this got into the Little North Santiam. Opal Creek wilderness area.

 

[Valiant]

I recently heard about this case roughly two weeks ago. My family and I went hiking yesterday and came across what looked like a Volkswagen Chassis. The GPS Coordinate are 44°50'55"N 122°17'44"W · 1,491 ft. I took pictures of it.

The wheel does not look correct for a 1962 VW. They were 5 lug in a larger bolt circle.
But it is possible that a 1962 VW might be quite modified by 1975.

 

[Kano]

i see this has already been mentioned, bumping instead

 

[Kano]

I did contact him, he is a great guy. But he needs to know if there is a car in the water before he will dive. Unless he stumbles across it removing another car.

The location he found what he thought an early 60s bug in is very close to where Brian went missing. A 45 minute drive by google maps. This could very well be worth investigating. You can skip to about 15 minutes in to see the relevant part. They couldn't see and left the car in the location.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

The location he found what he thought an early 60s bug in is very close to where Brian went missing. A 45 minute drive by google maps. This could very well be worth investigating. You can skip to about 15 minutes in to see the relevant part. They couldn't see and left the car in the location.

Good find, I have been following AWP for a while, I can't believe I missed this one. Dang!

 

[Kano]

Good find, I have been following AWP for a while, I can't believe I missed this one. Dang!

I hope he notices.. Someone a bit intoxicated could easily make it to that point and have gone underwater before they knew he was missing.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

The wheel does not look correct for a 1962 VW. They were 5 lug in a larger bolt circle.
But it is possible that a 1962 VW might be quite modified by 1975.

Thank you for your insight!

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 15, 2021
Teen disappears after Salem house party in 1975 | kgw.com
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released an age-progressed photo of what Brian Page would look like today, some 46 years after he disappeared at the age of 16.

[...]

Credit: NCMEC
This is Brian Page before he went missing.

[...]

... CR said not too long ago she and another sibling gave DNA to detectives to put in Brian's case file.

[...]

Credit: NCMEC
Age progression of what Brian Page may look like today.

 

[CipherHuntingFamily]

MAR 15, 2021
Teen disappears after Salem house party in 1975 | kgw.com
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released an age-progressed photo of what Brian Page would look like today, some 46 years after he disappeared at the age of 16.

[...]

Credit: NCMEC
This is Brian Page before he went missing.

[...]

... CR said not too long ago she and another sibling gave DNA to detectives to put in Brian's case file.

[...]

Credit: NCMEC
Age progression of what Brian Page may look like today.

I'm glad his case is getting coverage!!