In the fall of 2016, a 19-year-old male named Christian William Long vanished, leaving his family searching for answers. The last known communication from Christian was a text message to his father on October 28, 2016, stating he was at a Days Inn motel in Corvallis, Oregon, and was on his way to Eugene, Oregon. After that message, all contact with the young man ceased.
His father, Donald Long, grew increasingly concerned after a prolonged period of silence and reported his son missing to the Corvallis Police Department in December of that year.
Upon receiving the report, the Corvallis Police Department launched an investigation, entering Christian's information into law enforcement databases as a missing person. Detectives followed up on multiple tips that came in from the public, some from out of state, but these leads were either exhausted or ruled out as not being related to Christian's case. In an effort to broaden the search, DNA samples were collected from Christian's father and submitted to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons database. The hope was that this would provide a crucial link if unidentified remains were discovered.
Tragically, in May 2019, human remains were discovered by an individual walking along the bank of the Columbia River in Cowlitz County, Washington. At the time of the discovery, positive identification was not possible, and the remains were sent for further analysis. In August 2020, a significant breakthrough occurred when detectives were notified that the DNA from the unidentified remains was a familial match to the DNA provided by Donald Long. After additional DNA samples were collected from family members and submitted for further testing, a definitive confirmation was made on February 23, 2021, that the remains belonged to Christian Long. Although Christian's remains have been located, the case remains an open investigation as the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown. Investigators believe there are people who have information about what happened to Christian and have urged them to come forward.Last Seen: Oct 28, 2016
