In the early hours of January 3, 2025, the quiet of a Bend, Oregon motel was broken by a grim discovery that would unravel a tale of robbery and murder. Robert Lewis Treher, a 34-year-old Caucasian male, was found dead in his room at the Holiday Motel on SE 3rd Street. An employee making a welfare check around 8:24 a.m. stumbled upon the unresponsive Treher and immediately alerted the authorities.
Bend Police arrived at the scene and pronounced him dead, quickly launching what would become an active homicide investigation.
The initial stages of the investigation revealed little, with police releasing few details about the manner of death. The area around the Holiday Motel became a hub of law enforcement activity, with the Oregon State Police forensics team assisting Bend Police in processing the scene for evidence. This intensive on-site investigation continued until the early morning hours of the following day.
A break in the case came with the identification of two suspects. Jessica May Sanders, a 30-year-old from Clearlake, California, was identified as a person of interest on the same day Treher's body was discovered. She was apprehended during a traffic stop in Redmond on an outstanding warrant and was also found in possession of methamphetamine. The driver of the vehicle, though arrested on drug charges, was not believed to be involved in the homicide. The second suspect, 38-year-old Jason Newton Loun of Redmond, was arrested on March 1st.
Court documents later revealed the tragic circumstances of Treher's death. Sanders and Loun were accused of killing Treher during a robbery where the total amount stolen was less than $100. It is believed the situation turned fatal after Treher resisted the theft. Both Sanders and Loun have since pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, robbery, theft, unlawful use of a weapon, and being felons in possession of a firearm. They are currently lodged in the Deschutes County Jail, with their trial scheduled to begin on July 14, 2026.
