Found Safe OR - Demi Helenius, 23, Portland, 5 Aug 2017

[NadirCake]

I feel there's a bit more to the story of the phone being turned into DQ--just a gut feeling I have. Especially because in this day & age, the chances of a random person turning in a 'found' cell phone are quite slim--in my opinion!

RSBM

At least twice (that I can remember) I have found a cell phone in a public place (once in a pharmacy restroom, once in an airport restroom) and both times I turned it in (to the pharmacy employees and to the nearest gate agent, respectively.)

As Lilibet pointed out, if the guy who turned it in is involved in the MP's disappearance, he's not the brightest crayon in the box. I think it's far more likely that it was found on DQ premises and the man was a good Samaritan just doing the right thing.

The police are probably very interested in finding out from him where exactly on the premises the phone was found, though. Its specific location could be a hint as to whether it was deliberately tossed out as a breadcrumb by the MP or if it was dropped in a struggle. And possibly also to take his fingerprints so they can know which of any prints that might be found on the phone are his.

 

[Capebluff]

I have also turned in cell phones in the past, as well! We have also lost 4 in the past 2 years & unfortunately never had the same luck! [emoji29] Lol

 

[LisaWL7TR]

I wonder what "strange circumstances" occurred before he turned in the phone. And where is her car?! I wish we had more information.

ETA: Her parents called the phone multiple times Saturday night and finally a DQ employee answered it. They filed a missing person report in Lane County where the DQ is and asked Washington county LE to help on Sunsay. The car is missing. LE is following up on leads from the Landmark Conference. The investigating sheriff does not know if she attended the conference on Saturday.

http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2017/08/washington_county_woman_missin.html

Just now catching up on reading and I wonder also...about the strange circumstances?

 

[Lilibet]

Just now catching up on reading and I wonder also...about the strange circumstances?

Perhaps the sheriff is referring to the fact that a man with a criminal history did not return to the conference after dinner. I wonder if Demi was seen talking to him. Just guessing. No opinion yet.

 

[JerseyGirl]

They found her car in the small town of Cottage Grove in central Oregon.

Cottage Grove is about 130 miles south of Portland.

A preliminary examination of Helenius' car found no evidence of foul play.

A man passing through the drive-thru said he had found it and he hoped the worker would return it to its owner. Police were able to obtain the license plate number of the car that dropped off the phone, thanks to surveillance tapes provided by Dairy Queen. Detectives contacted the man and were told that he found the phone in a parking lot nearby the Dairy Queen after he saw someone throw it from a car.

http://www.kgw.com/news/police-look-for-woman-missing-under-suspicious-circumstances/462420053

Where are you Demi?!

 

[JerseyGirl]

Perhaps the sheriff is referring to the fact that a man with a criminal history did not return to the conference after dinner. I wonder if Demi was seen talking to him. Just guessing. No opinion yet.

Yes.

Detectives have confirmed a man at the Portland conference did not check back in after dinner Saturday night, and that he has a criminal record. They are also working to find him.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

These LM seminars are intense. It sounds like she was already pretty involved. If not, and is this was some of her first exposure to LM, well, these seminars can easily put a lot of stress on someone.

I hope she is safe and just taking a break.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Press release from Washington County Sheriff's Office. I posted it in full but my post appears to have been deleted. Here is the link http://pdxfanews.blogspot.com/2017/08/detectives-looking-for-information-on.html?m=1

View attachment PR170807_Missing_Demi_Helenius.pdf

 

[freefallzzzz]

Most recent
Press release from Washington County Sheriff's Office. I posted it in full but my post appears to have been deleted. Here is the link http://pdxfanews.blogspot.com/2017/0...on-on.html?m=1

 

[JerseyGirl]

Most recent
Press release from Washington County Sheriff's Office. I posted it in full but my post appears to have been deleted. Here is the link http://pdxfanews.blogspot.com/2017/0...on-on.html?m=1

Demi had gone to a conference at the Portland Embassy Suites (7900 NE 82nd Ave) that started on Friday and was supposed to go through Saturday night. She arrived home Friday night and went back again on Saturday morning. She never came home from the conference on Saturday night. They said Demi is very good about calling them.

The Helenius’ said Demi didn’t call at 10pm on Saturday when the conference was supposed to be done for the day. They tried to call her phone but got no answer. Just after 11pm they called and got an answer from a woman who said she had the phone at the Dairy Queen in Creswell Oregon, 133 miles south of the Portland airport in Lane County.

 

[Elainera]

This is very worrying. If not for the phone being thrown out of a car I would think that maybe she needed a break after that intense seminar.

But it looks more like someone abducted her, possibly in the parking lot at the hotel where the LM seminar was held. Or she agreed to drive somewhere with the other attendee who was missing after dinner and he harmed her. Are there cameras in the hotel parking lot?

Sadly I have a very bad feeling about this case

 

[JerseyGirl]

So she went missing in Portland, her phone was tossed out of a car in Creswell, and her car was found in Cottage Grove.

Does anyone know how to prepare a map?

EDIT: I just did a google map search and Portland is about 130 miles south of Creswell, and Cottage Grove is about 10 miles south of Creswell, and all towns appear to be just off I-5.

 

[Bravo]

Not a mapper. Skibs is likely asleep with time zone she is in. Hopefully some other posters will pop in. Maybe Skibs or someone can give us a tutorial one day.

 

[Bravo]

Hopefully the guy who turned in the phone and witnessed it being tossed has a good description of the car/driver?

 

[Elainera]

The Embassy Suites hotel at Portland airport has a large parking lot in front of it. I "walked" around a bit on Google streetview but was not able to spot any cameras. But the streetview images are 10 years old it says.

https://www.google.co.in/maps/@45.5...4!1slm4aEWpLS4wkF6imvvMV4g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

These LM seminars are intense. It sounds like she was already pretty involved. If not, and is this was some of her first exposure to LM, well, these seminars can easily put a lot of stress on someone.

I hope she is safe and just taking a break.

What are the LM seminars about?

 

[Jenjen37]

It says its a self help seminar. Someone posted links in the beginning of the thread

What are the LM seminars about?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

'Just thinking out loud here.....

Perhaps there's more females that attend these "self help" seminars statistically? If so, there would be a situation ripe for a depraved predator, sadly.

 

[Oregonmama]

The Embassy Suites hotel at Portland airport has a large parking lot in front of it. I "walked" around a bit on Google streetview but was not able to spot any cameras. But the streetview images are 10 years old it says.

https://www.google.co.in/maps/@45.5...4!1slm4aEWpLS4wkF6imvvMV4g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

That area where the hotel is a very busy area. In regards to Interstate 5, that is a major freeway in Oregon and the phone was given at a DQ in Lane county and her car was found in the same county but a different town. Creswell where the DQ is not big and cottage grove isn't either

 

[GarAndTeed]

'Just thinking out loud here.....

Perhaps there's more females that attend these "self help" seminars statistically? If so, there would be a situation ripe for a depraved predator, sadly.

This "Landmark" deal used to be known as EST; VERY scary stuff, IMO. I went to a meeting years ago in CA- this was "open" (IOW you hadn't handed over the large amount of cash required to attend the "seminar"). My friends clued me in before the meeting, so my "excuse" was not having the money for the weekend "training"...it was insane. People I didn't know were offering to loan me money; some even offered to pay my way...we're talking $300 back in the late 70's! And it was mostly guys who offered. You have to have a signed consent if you're seeing a therapist or psychiatrist, as people have total psychotic breaks during these "seminars". The deal is they want to "kill your ego" so you can accept their way of life; you aren't even allowed to use the bathroom during the 10+ hour days. The "leader" yells at you & tells you how rotten you are; gets the crowd involved, too. And there's an entire "language" (so to speak) with this junk. You can do whatever you want as long as you "take responsibility" for it; for example, I had a friend who got into it, and she'd boast about sleeping with three guys in one night, but it was *great*- she was a happy camper because she "took responsibility" for it, and she felt so "free".
I could ramble on, but hopefully I got my experience across; this is all JMHO, of course. But I worry about this "program" and people who get caught up in it.
I truly hope I haven't offended anyone; and that Demi is ok. (Mods, please delete if necessary).
Edited to add I don't mean to sound judgemental of Demi!