Found Deceased OR - Owen Klinger, 18, University of Portland, 6 Oct 2019

[LAborn]

BBM:

Wow, this updated news is hugely, which is to say, HUGELY, helpful to LE.

It also sounds encouraging, all things considered.

This new info absolutely and directly points to OK likely being voluntarily missing d/t a desire to go off the grid.

That beats most of the alternative scenarios by a mile.

It sounds like it's just a matter of tracking his movements, likely via train.

Hopefully, LE can track him down sooner rather than later, for his family's sake.

JMO.

This is GREAT news! A vision quest is a much better thing than what I was thinking. I don't think it would be hard to find ways to get food, clothing, etc.

 

[happyday]

UPDATE #2: Additional Details Being Released Regarding Owen Klinger

New info. Possibly interested in hopping freight trains or going to Alaska off the grid. I think I heard that here earlier.

"Investigators believe Owen had been watching videos about hopping freight trains. The direction he was walking was an area where freight trains are commonly staged. He had also watched the movie Into the Wild in which a young man leaves to go to Alaska to "go live off the grid.""

Oh my goodness! I hope this means he’s okay! So weird though. From the little we know about him it’s hard to believe he would do something like that to his family and friends. And to just blow off school like that, knowing how expensive it is and he was doing well. I wonder if he was angry about something? Relieved but still worried.

 

[88GlavineRC]

Oh my goodness! I hope this means he’s okay! So weird though. From the little we know about him it’s hard to believe he would do something like that to his family and friends. And to just blow off school like that, knowing how expensive it is and he was doing well. I wonder if he was angry about something? Relieved but still worried.

Owen had a safe predictable upbringing. If there is ever an age to explore and try new things, sew wild oats, 18 is it. Major downside is freight hopping is sooooo dangerous. Highly doubt that Owen was exploring the train hopping culture without some kind of peer network.
If the off grid Chris McCandless angle applies maybe he has hunkered down in Forrest Park/Gifford Pinchot/Mt Hood wilderness. Enough area to be secluded but warmer and more familiar than Alaska/BC.

 

[GordianKnot]

Oh my goodness! I hope this means he’s okay! So weird though. From the little we know about him it’s hard to believe he would do something like that to his family and friends. And to just blow off school like that, knowing how expensive it is and he was doing well. I wonder if he was angry about something? Relieved but still worried.

Into the Wild is a beautiful, inspiring movie. Easy to see how an 18-year-old kid stressed about midterms and disillusioned by the monotony of university life could watch it and become consumed with the fantasy of living off the grid. For those who don't know the movie is a portrayal of the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man from a well-off family who disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness after graduating college in the 90s. Christopher did not tell his family where he was going and did not reach out to them after leaving.
Seems like Owen meant to disappear long-term after all. Everything that made us think that wasn't a likely scenario (small amount of cash, casual wardrobe, tiny backpack, etc.) still hold, meaning that he was ill prepared to do what he set out for.

RSABBM:

I probably should have tempered my positive reaction to the update in my prior post.

While it really is encouraging to hear what seems to be definitive evidence that OK intended to go off the grid and how he intended to travel, i.e., train-hopping, I agree with the above posts that express concerns re: what led him to make this decision in the first place, and the risks inherent with such a plan.

It's atypical behavior, and while as an adult OK had no obligation to tell his family what his intentions were, to leave so abruptly and choosing to remain incommunicado tends to reflect that he may be experiencing some type of mental health crisis.

While Into the Wild is an inspiring book to many, we all know how it ends, which is to say, it ain't a happy ending.

OK still needs to be found, regardless of the fact that there's every indication he absented himself in pursuit of a different life experience than college.

It sounds like he left with the clothes on his back and $150 in his pocket.

There's a fine line between adventure and danger.

JMO.

 

[PixieStix]

Wow, update #2 has great info and helps answer several questions. If he voluntarily left and hopped a freight train this gives me a bit of hope he is just off having an adventure. It would also explain no sightings of him in the area.

 

[Gigi3]

I truly hope this new information is what he is doing. If he had been planning this for a while, maybe he had rations or other necessities hidden elsewhere? JMO

 

[88GlavineRC]

If Owen hopped a train south I really believe trimming cannabis in southern Oregon, or seeing the rail museum at Dunsmuir Cali would be prime destinations.

 

[PdxErn]

This is GREAT news! A vision quest is a much better thing than what I was thinking.

Absolutely. I'm relieved. It also explains why Owen hasn't been seen or heard of - he is intentionally avoiding detection.

RSABBM:

I probably should have tempered my positive reaction to the update in my prior post.

While it really is encouraging to hear what seems to be definitive evidence that OK intended to go off the grid and how he intended to travel, i.e., train-hopping, I agree with the above posts that express concerns re: what led him to make this decision in the first place, and the risks inherent with such a plan.

It's atypical behavior, and while as an adult OK had no obligation to tell his family what his intentions were, to leave so abruptly and choosing to remain incommunicado tends to reflect that he may be experiencing some type of mental health crisis.

While Into the Wild is an inspiring book to many, we all know how it ends, which is to say, it ain't a happy ending.

OK still needs to be found, regardless of the fact that there's every indication he absented himself in pursuit of a different life experience than college.

It sounds like he left with the clothes on his back and $150 in his pocket.

There's a fine line between adventure and danger.

JMO.

Yes. From all accounts this is extremely atypical behavior from Owen. While he is an adult with the right to lead the life he chooses, I think the circumstances surrounding his disappearance put into question his mental and physical well being. He still needs to be found. Everything we've seen from the family leads me to believe this could end well for Owen if he has managed to keep himself alive and well this long. I get the sense he well be welcomed back and supported through whatever crisis he is evidently experiencing.

 

[88GlavineRC]

Wow, update #2 has great info and helps answer several questions. If he voluntarily left and hopped a freight train this gives me a bit of hope he is just off having an adventure. It would also explain no sightings of him in the area.

It would sure explain why he hasn't been seen in Portland. If he is hopping freight with another person/people, maybe they are unknown to family, more transient and not in the area for questioning. I hope he had an experienced person to catch trains with, someone safe, sane and non violent. It's a subculture that can overlap with some desperate people.

 

[10ofRods]

Most ATM cards also work as credit cards, so a person can buy a bus or train ticket with one. The cash is useful for food and other incidentals.

For some reason, I don't think Sunday evening before midterms is the time that Owen would choose to go party hard. That's definitely not my favorite theory. Just a vibe I get from him.

 

[PdxErn]

The interviewer's style is somewhat grating but there's some good information here. In particular, the police have confirmed that Owen's phone was powered off. It did not run out of battery.

 

[88GlavineRC]

I truly hope this new information is what he is doing. If he had been planning this for a while, maybe he had rations or other necessities hidden elsewhere? JMO

Consider all the seniors who graduated from Portland high schools in 2019. I'd bet that statistically one or two of them may be out riding trains at this very moment (or at least over this summer). If any of these townies were a loose acquaintance to Owen maybe they are riding together. Extend it even further, maybe Owen met someone already living on the streets to travel with.
Smaller backpack size actually makes sense to me, small and lightweight enough to sprint on a gravel surface and jump UP to a moving train ladder. Experienced riders actually recommend small backpack/bedroll and less than gallon water/food. Large packs stand out visually, can't hide them and much more likely to be snagged on trains.

 

[PaulR]

Owen had a safe predictable upbringing. If there is ever an age to explore and try new things, sew wild oats, 18 is it. Major downside is freight hopping is sooooo dangerous. Highly doubt that Owen was exploring the train hopping culture without some kind of peer network.
If the off grid Chris McCandless angle applies maybe he has hunkered down in Forrest Park/Gifford Pinchot/Mt Hood wilderness. Enough area to be secluded but warmer and more familiar than Alaska/BC.

He could also have gone to Washington. Seattle is very transient-friendly. Lots of rail lines cut through the area, and there are rail museums, including one near where "Twin Peaks" was filmed.

I really hope he is not pulling a Chris McCandless, it made a nice movie but the man was almost certainly mentally ill.

 

[Z1880s]

Interesting development, about his interest in trains and that movie about the guy who dropped out of society. I didn't get the impression he was that type of kid, but I guess you never know. I wonder if that was his plan, why he just didn't withdraw a larger amount of money to keep him going and not be tracked again at another ATM? As a mom, I just feel sad that a kid would drop out of school like this, knowing full well how much it takes to get accepted there and how expensive it is. I wonder if anyone knows if he had wanted to go to college in the first place and was pressured into it?

 

[Curiousobserver]

I am glad there is hope.

What a stupid thing to do.

Apparently he didn't finish the book all the way to the end.

Join the Peace Corps dude.

 

[GordianKnot]

Here's an interesting article about freight hopping, including some anecdotal interviews w/ former train hoppers:

'Y'all ride freight?': The past-lives of NC trainhoppers :: WRAL.com

SABBM:

He was a hedonistic home bum hiker — as Spiteri described himself back then — and bonded with fellow travelers similarly unbridled by the strictures of desk jobs, mortgages and college exams. For funds, Spiteri freelanced as a handyman. When money was short, he ate at soup kitchens and dumpster dove. His calendar was improvised. Curiosity and connections brought him to new cities — from Louisiana to Washington State — for a night, days or weeks. "Riding freight spoke to my creativity and my will power," he said.

Yet the romanticism of freighthopping clashed with the cold realities of being young and homeless. Many nights were spent under bridges, or in makeshift urban encampments known in the freighthopping world as jungles.

"You're constantly exposed," Spiteri said. "Exposed to the elements, exposed to people who might take advantage of you, exposed to the police."
__________________________

So, if OK has chosen a similar lifestyle, he may seek out itinerant work and/or eat at soup kitchens.

Hopefully, LE and family will blanket soup kitchens along the rail lines with his missing poster.

JMO.

 

[gliving]

He's 18 years old. LE ruled out kidnapping, etc. Outside of train hopping, there's nothing illegal about taking off. Sounds like he doesn't want to be found. Sad for his family.

 

[bykerladi]

Am I correct that if LE finds him, and he doesn't want to be "found," then LE just says he's ok and does not provide further information? At least then his family will know he's not murdered somewhere.

 

[PdxErn]

Am I correct that if LE finds him, and he doesn't want to be "found," then LE just says he's ok and does not provide further information? At least then his family will know he's not murdered somewhere.

Yes. With adult missing persons LE can only inform family that the adult is safe. If he is found in danger of harming himself or others I think this changes

 

[gliving]

Owen Klinger's father speaks about son's disappearance

"The interviewer asked Klinger to clarify if he was saying that something that happened at the university could have been a factor in Owen's disappearance.

"Well, we just don't know. We've talked to so many people, we've talked to so many friends, and Owen was an emotional, concerned guy," he said. "He was worried about other people more than himself more often, and that's why this is just so out of character. He wouldn't get so wrapped up in his own concerns at the moment. That wasn't his pattern. So the worry is that maybe he was trying to help someone or going out to do something for someone else."

2:09 PM PDT October 16, 2019