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Case Description

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Ronald Keith Lyles, a 40-year-old man from Grants Pass, Oregon, went missing on December 13, 2002. On that day, Lyles left his home to cut firewood in the West Pickett Creek area, driving his 1978 brown Ford F150 truck. His family reported him missing when he failed to return home, prompting a search. His truck was eventually located near Panther Gulch, but there were no signs of Lyles himself, raising concerns about his whereabouts.

The search for Lyles has spanned over two decades, bu ...Read More
Last Seen: Dec 13, 2002

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Victim Details

Mar 11, 2013

Jan 08, 2024

Ronald

Lyles

62

40

73 inches

190 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On December 13, 2002, 40-year-old Ronald Keith Lyles, who often went by his middle name, Keith, drove his 1978 brown Ford F150 pickup truck into the West Picket Creek area near Grants Pass, Oregon. He was planning to cut firewood, a common activity in the remote and wooded region. Lyles, a Caucasian male with blond hair and blue eyes, stood at 6'1" and weighed around 190 pounds. He was known to have scars on both of his legs, from his upper thighs to his knees. When he failed to come back from his firewood gathering trip, concern grew for his welfare, and he was reported as a missing person to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. The search for Lyles led to a troubling discovery. His 1978 Ford truck was found abandoned in the area where he was believed to be, but there was no trace of Lyles himself. The vehicle, with Oregon license plate 278ANH, was located, but the circumstances surrounding it offered no immediate clues as to what might have happened to its owner. The investigation into his disappearance was launched, with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office taking the lead under case number 02-12935. Despite search efforts, the vast and rugged terrain of the West Picket Creek area yielded no signs of the missing man. Years have passed since Ronald Keith Lyles was last seen, and his case remains an unresolved and painful mystery for his family and community. The passage of time has not brought any significant breakthroughs or answers to the many questions surrounding his disappearance. Law enforcement agencies continue to list him as a missing person, and his case is documented in national databases in the hope that new information may one day come to light. The overview of this case is one of a man who ventured into a familiar, albeit remote, location for a routine task and vanished without a trace, leaving behind only his vehicle and a lingering sense of uncertainty.

Dec 13, 2002

Grants Pass

Oregon

Josephine County

97527

No

13232

Josephine County Sheriff's Office

Grants Pass

Oregon

Josephine County

97526

1901 Northeast F Street, Oregon

5414745123

County

Law Enforcement

02-12935

Josephine County Sheriff's Office

Blond/Strawberry

Blue

Blue

05/31/2026


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