Clues Found, but Questions Remain About Man's Disappearance in Vida

VIDA: A search remains underway in the Vida area for a 42-year-old Eugene man who disappeared last month while planning to return to his disabled vehicle with gasoline.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office reports Michael Trevor Owen Naughton, who goes by Trevor Naughton, was last heard from at 3:42 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19. Family members reported him missing after he failed to return to his car, at a camp spot in the Gate Creek Road area.

According to investigators, Naughton had driven into the area along the Weyerhaeuser Mainline Road and ran out of fuel on Spur Road 60 in the North Gate Creek area. Text messages sent to his mother earlier that afternoon indicated he'd left his vehicle and headed along what he believed would be a shorter, roughly four-mile route to the Giustina Mainline Road. From there, he walked an estimated six miles or more to a store in Vida.

Surveillance footage confirmed Naughton purchased two gas containers - a 1.5-gallon red jug and a 5-gallon yellow gas can - along with drinks and snacks. Family members said he was lightly dressed for what were cold, rainy conditions and was wearing casual shoes. He also had a black backpack containing his medications.

Outside the store, Naughton arranged a ride with a man in a pickup truck, paying $20 cash and adding $20 worth of fuel to the driver's vehicle. The driver took him to one of the timber gates, but when they encountered a locked entrance, the driver declined to take a longer alternate route.

Naughton was dropped off around 2:30 p.m. and began walking back toward his car carrying the full 5-gallon gasoline container, which would have weighed approximately 44 pounds.

At 3:42 p.m., he texted his mother that it would be some time before he reached his vehicle but said he would speak with her soon. There has been no phone activity since.

Search efforts began that Thursday morning after his mother contacted authorities. Within hours, search teams had located his silver 2009 Ford Fusion with Idaho license plates inside one of the gated timber areas.

Clues found along the road suggest Naughton may have struggled during his return trek. Searchers discovered a candy bar wrapper just inside the gate, followed by the red gas container approximately 1.5 miles farther along. About a mile beyond that, they located a Mountain Dew bottle, and 200 yards later, a Gatorade bottle.

Investigators believe Naughton may have taken the wrong fork where the road splits, heading away from his vehicle.

Two small campfires were also found in the roadway about a half-mile apart. After those discoveries, officials said, the trail went cold.

Search & Rescue teams from the sheriff's office have been combing the rugged terrain, assisted by the Oregon State Police, local drone operators from the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District and the Mohawk Valley. Authorities said some drone footage had captured images of Naughton walking along a road in the area, but he did not return along that same route.

Temperatures in the area the night he went missing dipped into the high 20s with cold rain and sleet. Family members fear hypothermia, a fall into one of the area's steep ravines, or disorientation may have played a role.

Relatives said Naughton had previously experienced two brain aneurysms and had ongoing medical challenges. He also walks with a noticeable limp and was missing the toes on his left foot.

His mother, Eddye K. Bean of Driggs, Idaho, used social media to describe the uncertainty as unbearable and said the family is desperate for answers.

"We need to bring our son home," she wrote. "Someone may hold the missing piece that can help us."

That missing piece, she believes, could be the bright yellow 5-gallon gas can Naughton was carrying when he left the locked gate. The container has not been located. The family is offering a $1,000 reward for information about its whereabouts and says anyone who may have picked it up will not be in trouble.

Authorities urge anyone who may have seen Naughton or found the yellow gas jug to contact the Lane County Sheriff's Office at 541-682-4150, option 1, and reference case number 26-0867.

Naughton is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 170 to 175 pounds, with brown hair, a grayish goatee and blue eyes.