The Umatilla Tribal Police Department is looking for any video footage or information that may assist them in locating a 71-year-old Oregon man.
“The UTPD is requesting video camera footage from anyone who has road-facing cameras and lives anywhere from Short Mile Road east to Cayuse Road, including River Road, or from Cayuse Road east to Bingham Road on the Umatilla Indian Reservation,” UTPD Detective William Morris said.
KATU reported that Wesley Dixon Jones, 71, was last seen on October 5. Jones is on camera in a vehicle traveling east along Short Mile Road at approximately 3:15 p.m.
The same vehicle, described as a 2003 gray Ford Escape with Oregon license plate SM15454, was recorded returning west without Jones.
Jones, a resident of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is described as a Native American male standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and weighing approximately 140 pounds. He has brown eyes and long black hair.
At the time of his disappearance, he was reportedly wearing a Tiger Scout jacket that is black and red, a black shirt, black sweats, and boots.
“It is an open investigation, and we’re treating it as a criminal investigation because that’s still a possibility,” Morris stated in a press release.
“We are still actively searching for Wesley Jones, and because this is an open investigation, we are unable to share certain specific steps we are taking. We continue to rule out possibilities as we gather more information.”
Two searches have been conducted along the Umatilla River with K9s and drones by UTPD and the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, officials say. Jones’ family has also participated in the search.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation stated Friday that the MMIW Search & Hope Alliance will be at the Umatilla Indian Reservation next weekend to assist in the search for Jones with specialty equipment.
The equipment will help in searching “the deep pockets of the water.”
If you have footage of the area in question, or you have information regarding the case, you are encouraged to contact the UTPD at 541-278-0550 or Morris at 541-969-7139.
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[Feature Photo via Umatilla Tribal Police Department]
