Found Deceased OR - Autumn Jones, 22, went for a drive, got lost, car found abandoned, Condon, 27 Nov 2021

[kelsie]

Hunters found a car on Wednesday belonging to an Oregon woman who has been missing since late November.

Authorities said that 22-year-old Autumn Jones left her family’s home in Morrow County, near the Washington state line, on November 27, saying she was going for a drive. At 1:30 in the morning on November 28, she called her family and said she was lost, the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office said.

The family traced her using a smartphone app and located her in Wheeler County, to the southwest of Morrow County, but investigators who responded to the area didn’t find her.

On November 29, a mail carrier reported seeing Jones’ car, a red 2014 Volkswagen Jetta, near Fossil. Sheriff’s deputies from Wheeler, Morrow and Grant Counties coordinated search teams to locate Jones in the following days, however, she nor her car were found.

On December 15, hunters found Autumn’s unoccupied vehicle in a canyon near Condon. She remains missing.

Autumn Jones is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, has blue eyes, medium-length brown hair, and weighs about 300 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black Riverside T-shirt, black sweatshirt, black tennis shoes and possibly a black Carhartt coat.

Missing Woman’s Car Found in Oregon Canyon 3 Weeks After She Disappeared

Gilliam County Sheriff's Office Post

 

[kelsie]

On December 4th, Wheeler County Sheriff's Office shared the following:
Due to credible information, we do not believe Autumn Jones to be in Wheeler County any longer.
If anyone has any new information, please contact the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office.

However, yesterday GCSO (previously mentioned) shared a post with this information regarding the search:

Overnight snow increased difficulty, so the extensive search for Autumn Jones has concluded for the day due to the darkness and weather conditions. More than 70 searchers covered approximately 2,700 acres in the vicinity of where Jones’ vehicle was found on December 15. Searchers used drones, ATVs and tracking dogs, and traveled by horseback and walked over the rolling terrain. Despite the exhaustive search, crews were not able to locate Autumn Jones, and her whereabouts remain unknown.

The searchers will resume early Friday morning.
--
I'm not sure if one or multiple sheriff's offices are helping with this.

 

[kelsie]

There is a fundraiser for her out there that provides a bit more context regarding her disappearance, if anyone's interested in looking that up. I hope she comes home safely and soon. Her mama, dad, and brother are all worried sick.

 

[RememberingRyan]

Has anyone been able to find more information about the condition the car was found in? Does it look like it was carefully driven down into the canyon and someone abandoned it there, like due to being out of gas? Or was it crashed like it fell or was driven into the canyon? Do we even know where this canyon is actually located for sure? Knowing whether she was likely seriously injured or just walking and how far away major roads were from that location makes a difference in whether she could have been picked up or having found a way to get access to food and shelter vs this being just a recovery mission.

 

[GraceG]

I went chucker (small game bird) hunting years ago in Condon, where her car was located. It's pretty desolate, and though it appears somewhat "flat" in photos, it's some brutal walking up and down small draws. Since it was stated in the MSM articles linked that hunters found the vehicle she was likely in such an area. I don't think she would have gotten far enough on foot that they wouldn't have found her at this point - she may well have left by other means than her vehicle.

 

[Unsolved]

Autumn's FB

Autumn Jones

 

[kelsie]

They sure are putting a ton of effort into looking for this girl. I think part of the worry is that her life seems to be pretty sheltered, and she may not know what to do in an emergency. That's the impression I get.

Log into Facebook
On Nov. 30, the FAA placed a Temporary Flight Restriction for the air space 12 miles north of Spray and 12 miles east of Spray up to about 6,000 feet. Authorized military aircraft was in the area conducting search patterns. The current Search and Rescue mission for Autumn Jones is still ongoing.
-Her mom replies in the comments through Autumn's dad's FB account, but no new information is shared.

Nov. 29th a postal carrier reported seeing her red 2014 Volkswagen Jetta near
Fossil, OR which is 19 miles south and past her destination of Condon. However, authorities were unable to locate the vehicle.

Then December 15th, some hunters found Jones' car unoccupied and abandoned in a canyon near Condon, but she was nowhere to be found.

Photos of what canyons look like in Condon (beautiful, very intimidating, and probably scary at night if you're all by yourself):

I am now understanding why this search appears to be massive - it has to be massive to cover ground in a place like this. She could truly be anywhere if she left her car on foot. If someone picked her up, that's a whole other can of worms, but I figure she wandered, panicked and lost, to try and find help. I'm not entirely sure what the police and the media mean by saying, "Her car was found in a canyon". Does that mean she just drove deep into a canyon and abandoned her car? Did she follow a road, or was her vehicle found off-road?

Topography Map of Condon

Oregon agencies searching for missing woman Autumn Jones

MISSING: The search for Autumn Jones continues
We want to acknowledge the many agencies and residents who have helped in the search and that are present today, including, but not limited to, the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Search and Rescue, Hood River County Search and Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Wasco County Search and Rescue, Deschutes County Search and Rescue, Wheeler County Search and Rescue, Gilliam County Road Department, North Gilliam County Rural Fire District, South Gilliam County Rural Fire Department, South Gilliam County Ambulance Service and local volunteers.

Updates will be provided through the Gilliam County Facebook page.

Read More: Search Escalates for Woman Missing in Central Oregon Since 11-27

MOST RECENT post on the Gilliam County FB page (7 hrs ago):
Another day has concluded for the search for Autumn Jones due to darkness and foggy conditions. More than 30 searchers covered more area today. Searchers used ATVs, traveled by horseback and walked focusing on heavy brush areas.
Search will continue tomorrow.

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 19, 2021
Searchers recover body of missing Boardman woman | Local News | eastoregonian.com
[...]

The Gilliam County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, Dec. 18, reported searchers at 11:10 a.m. that day found the remains of Autumn Jones.

"An investigation is taking place, but foul play does not appear to be a factor and the public is not at risk," according to the post of the sheriff's office Facebook page.

[...]

Rest peacefully, Autumn.

 

[annpats]

How awful for her. She just went for a drive, got lost, her phone died, she couldn't be found and I'm presuming she succumbed to the elements.
The wilderness can be tough.
RIP dear Autumn.