Account
Jul 03, 2023
Jul 05, 2023
John
Early
67
65
74 inches
200 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
On April 30, 2023, 65-year-old John Kevin Early was last seen in a rural area of Jackson County, just outside of Ashland, Oregon. He had reportedly been searching for morel mushrooms near the intersection of Moon Prairie Road and Jenny Creek Road at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. At the time of his disappearance, John was wearing blue jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and brown boots. The area where he went missing is a remote part of the county, situated off of Highway 66. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office was notified of his disappearance and opened an investigation. It was noted that John had a history of wandering in the rural parts of Jackson County and had gone missing on previous occasions. This history provided a concerning context for his sudden absence, prompting immediate concern from authorities and his community. His physical characteristics were shared to aid in the search; he is a white male with red or auburn hair and blue eyes, standing at a height of 6 feet 2 inches and weighing around 200 pounds. Search and rescue teams were deployed to the area where John was last seen. Despite extensive efforts to locate him in the rugged terrain surrounding Jenny Creek and Moon Prairie Road, no signs of him were immediately found. The case remains a poignant and unresolved matter for his family and the local community. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance, a simple outing to forage for mushrooms, stand in stark contrast to the lingering uncertainty of his whereabouts, leaving many to wonder what happened to John Early in the woods of southern Oregon.
Apr 30, 2023
Ashland
Oregon
Jackson County
No
126232
Jackson County Sheriff's Office
Central Point
Oregon
Jackson County
97502
Preston Friend
Detective
5179 Crater Lake Highway, Oregon
5417746800
County
Law Enforcement
23-2468
2023-05-01
Jackson County Sheriff's Office
1970
Red/Auburn
Blue
Blue
05/18/2026
