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

[Elainera]

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

I wonder whether the guy who was also absent from the seminar lives there or has ties to the area. I'm sure LE are checking.

 

[flourish]

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).

I read a very similar and scary account online... Everything about this group screams "YIKES RUN AWAY!" to me. Anyway, none of this bodes well, I'm afraid.

 

[KJ's Mamu]

Link to google map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/319+SW+Pine+St,+Portland,+Oregon/Creswell,+Oregon/Cottage+Grove,+OR/@44.6562344,-123.987927,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x54950a06ec5b376d:0x928616e6d2302f6f!2m2!1d-122.6741664!2d45.5219052!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c123236edfc755:0x290bafe9076c4cb8!2m2!1d-123.0245261!2d43.9179023!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c1304c864c322d:0xba853c2b6e7b5fec!2m2!1d-123.0595246!2d43.797623!3e0

I created the map assuming that the Landmark Forum was at the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland. I wasn't able to locate anything that identified the address of the Embassy Suites.

 

[Oregonmama]

I wonder whether the guy who was also absent from the seminar lives there or has ties to the area. I'm sure LE are checking.

Lane county has several colleges/universities . University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Lane Community College, Chemetka community........ Perhaps she met up with a college student her age

 

[flourish]

OSU is actually in Benton county, not to put too fine a point on it... (and go ducks)

 

[monkeypants]

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

I bet there was a camera in that lot that would have captured it if it's in a shopping center?

 

[Elainera]

Link to google map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/319+SW+Pine+St,+Portland,+Oregon/Creswell,+Oregon/Cottage+Grove,+OR/@44.6562344,-123.987927,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x54950a06ec5b376d:0x928616e6d2302f6f!2m2!1d-122.6741664!2d45.5219052!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c123236edfc755:0x290bafe9076c4cb8!2m2!1d-123.0245261!2d43.9179023!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c1304c864c322d:0xba853c2b6e7b5fec!2m2!1d-123.0595246!2d43.797623!3e0

I created the map assuming that the Landmark Forum was at the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland. I wasn't able to locate anything that identified the address of the Embassy Suites.

"Demi Helenius was attending a conference at the Embassy Suites hotel near Portland International Airport "
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2017/08/washington_county_woman_missin.html

Address: 7900 NE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220

 

[KJ's Mamu]

Updated google map link: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/7900+NE+82nd+Ave,+Portland,+OR+97220/DQ+Grill+%26+Chill+Restaurant,+Emerald+Parkway,+Creswell,+Oregon/Cottage+Grove,+OR/@44.6856322,-123.9284666,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x5495a4165f423c7f:0xab744541c2073a7c!2m2!1d-122.572136!2d45.5797218!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c126a4b6645dbb:0x9b9e67f8fe42cb4d!2m2!1d-123.007649!2d43.9165013!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c1304c864c322d:0xba853c2b6e7b5fec!2m2!1d-123.0595246!2d43.797623!3e0

I found an article that stated she was at the Embassy Suites by the airport. I also added the specific site of the Dairy Queen.

 

[Oregonmama]

OSU is actually in Benton county, not to put too fine a point on it... (and go ducks)

Yikes, your a ducks fan......I stand corrected

 

[Lilibet]

I wonder whether the guy who was also absent from the seminar lives there or has ties to the area. I'm sure LE are checking.

I imagine the absent guy is fairly local. I don't think it will take long to round him up if he's innocent.

Link to google map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/319...2b6e7b5fec!2m2!1d-123.0595246!2d43.797623!3e0

I created the map assuming that the Landmark Forum was at the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland. I wasn't able to locate anything that identified the address of the Embassy Suites.

I believe it's the Embassy Suites by the Airport, but for mapping purposes it's fine where you put it. She (or her car and phone) are known to have gotten far south of Portland.

Lane county has several colleges/universities . University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Lane Community College, Chemetka community........ Perhaps she met up with a college student her age

Or a student from one of the many universities closer to Portland.

OSU is actually in Benton county, not to put too fine a point on it... (and go ducks)

Quack! Go ducks for sure.

 

[Lilibet]

I read a very similar and scary account online... Everything about this group screams "YIKES RUN AWAY!" to me. Anyway, none of this bodes well, I'm afraid.

I'm wondering if her experience at whatever part of the seminar she attended (Friday and part of Saturday?) caused her to "run away" literally...to start a new life (or she had a psychological break). I'm grasping at straws, hoping she'll be OK.

I'm reminded of the case of Hannah Thomas-Garner (age 17) from Ashland, OR, whose car was found 100 miles south in Mt. Shasta with the window bashed in. There were even tiny drops of blood on the seat. It turned out she had run away from her mother and stepfather, left the car in Mt. Shasta with keys inside (but then broke the window to get something she had forgotten), had hitchhiked south on I-5 and was living with a family of strangers on the Central CA coast. She called her Dad over three months later and went to live with him in TX. We seriously thought she had been abducted and killed by some shady characters she partied with. Or trafficked. It was an unexpected happy ending.

So here's hoping for Demi even though it's a long shot.

 

[Henry2326]

Her car was found in the town of Cottage Grove, which is about 10 miles south of Creswell on the I-5 corridor.

Helenius did not attend the conference Sunday and has not contacted her family, Thompson said.

If you have any helpful information in the case, call the sheriff’s office at 503-846-2500.

http://katu.com/news/local/sheriffs-office-woman-missing-under-strange-circumstances

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[Henry2326]

Due to high-quality surveillance video at the Dairy Queen, detectives were able to see the license plate of the car that dropped off the phone. Detectives talked to the man, who said he found the phone in a nearby parking lot after seeing someone throw an object from a car.

Detectives said they are still investigating that lead.

http://www.kptv.com/story/36077052/...-woman-missing-under-suspicious-circumstances

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[Henry2326]

On Monday, deputies were alerted to the location of Helenius's car thanks to numerous tips. The car was recovered in Cottage Grove, just nine miles south of Creswell.

Cottage Grove Police, the Lane County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon State Police assisted in processing the scene where the car was found.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, an examination of the car found no foul play and the car will be processed more thoroughly at the OSP crime lab.

http://www.kptv.com/story/36077052/...-woman-missing-under-suspicious-circumstances

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[Henry2326]

Bumping for Demi....

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[SuperTmo]

The DQ in Creswell closes at 11pm on Saturdays, according to Google. She couldn't have stayed for whole event on Saturday (it ended at 10) if her phone was 2 hours south before the store closed. I wonder if they know what time the person found the phone.

Since they ID'd the driver who turned in the phone based on his license plate I assume he wasn't driving her car so it doesn't seem like he is involved at all. I'm thankful he was curious enough to see what was thrown from car and honest enough to turn it in. Who knows how much time that action saved before she was reported missing. I hope she is found safe!

 

[azure]

This does not sound good and I think we know how it will end. However, the conference sounds like the type of place people might take off together from and throw their cell phones away. I am holding onto the tiny hope that both attendees are found safe and sound after taking off for awhile.

 

[SuperTmo]

This article says the police spoke with the guy from the conference who didn't check back in and he isn't considered a suspect.

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

 

[Lilibet]

This article says the police spoke with the guy from the conference who didn't check back in and he isn't considered a suspect.

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

Clearing the guy who left the conference early gives me some hope that she is "OK" in the sense that she may be on an adventure. I wonder if she has come to Ashland to pursue acting. According to her meet-up profile I posted earlier, acting is her thing. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival isn't the only game in town (I'm pretty sure auditions are finished). Lots of smaller theaters in the area. It's not likely, but I keep hoping. I assume her ID and other items were not found in the car so she may have them with her.

 

[La Louve]

I hope they are going through the entire list of attendees who did not come back on Saturday, besides just the guy with a prior criminal record.

FWIW I went to a Landmark introductory event probably 15 years ago. I barely lasted until the lunch break. There were clearly lots of plants in the audience because all these supposed newbies were quick to counter my skeptical questions. At one point the person sitting in front of me clearly tried to gaslight me. That was the last straw for me and I left.

I had a couple friends that were into it at the time, and I have a cousin that feels he benefitted from it too, so I can't really say much more than that.

I hope Demi is just sorting some things out, but her phone and car being found separately doesn't give me a good feeling.