On December 15, 2025, 60-year-old Damon Lee Petrie, a resident of Eugene, Oregon, was last seen near Ashland. He was reportedly traveling with a friend to visit someone in White City. The friend claimed he dropped Petrie off near the Green Springs Inn, located about 17 miles east of Ashland along Highway 66, and after waiting for two hours for his return, he drove around the area to search for him.
Petrie was not officially reported as a missing person until three days later, on December 18, 2025. At the time of his disappearance, it is believed he was wearing a beanie, a black colored hooded sweatshirt, sweatpants, and tennis shoes, but he was not wearing a coat. Reports also indicated that he had difficulty walking due to swollen legs.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office, along with their detectives and Search and Rescue personnel, immediately launched extensive searches for Damon Petrie in the days and weeks that followed his disappearance. The search efforts were complicated by inaccurate information provided by the individual who initially reported him missing. The area where Petrie vanished is part of the vast 114,000-acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, a region characterized by dense forests and rugged terrain with elevations ranging from 2,000 to over 6,000 feet. The search was conducted in mid-December, a time when temperatures at the 4,500-foot elevation of the Green Springs Inn can drop well below freezing, and trails can be obscured by snowpack, adding to the challenges faced by the search teams.
Tragically, the search for Damon Petrie came to a somber conclusion. On Saturday, February 7, 2026, a hiker discovered human remains near Mill Creek Drive and Highway 66, about 15 miles southeast of Ashland, within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office Medical Examiner detectives scientifically identified the remains as those of Damon Lee Petrie. Following the discovery, the Sheriff's Office extended their condolences to his family and friends. The cause and manner of his death are pending the results of an autopsy and toxicology report. The investigation into his death remains ongoing, and at this time, no further information has been made available to the public. This case highlights the complexities and challenges of search and rescue operations in vast wilderness areas, particularly when compounded by misleading information, and it serves as a sad reminder of a life lost.Last Seen: Dec 15, 2025
