Three Tourists vanished in Oregon — 10 years later FOUND TERRIFYING DISCOVERY IN CAVE… | HO!!

PORTLAND, Ore. — On a brisk July morning in 1999, three Portland State University students set out for what was meant to be a five-day hiking adventure through the rugged beauty of Mount Hood National Forest. Eric Stevens, 21, a geology major; Jonathan Price, 22, a biology student; and Lisa Carter, 19, studying ecology, were well-prepared and optimistic.

But what began as a routine trek through Oregon’s wilderness would become one of the region’s most enduring mysteries—a case that would remain unsolved for a decade until a chilling discovery in a cave shocked the community and reignited questions that may never be answered.

The Disappearance

Eric Stevens, familiar with the area from summers spent on geological expeditions, was the de facto leader. The group planned a 40-kilometer route through little-known trails in the forest’s eastern reaches, far from the usual tourist paths. Early on July 27, Eric picked up Jonathan and Lisa in his 1996 Cherokee SUV. They left Portland at 6 a.m., stopping for gas and supplies at a Shell station on Highway 26, where Eric bought energy bars, water, and a map. The last confirmed sighting was at the trailhead near Trillium Lake.

Eric’s Jeep was found three days later, parked and locked at Trillium Lake, with the keys hidden under the wheel—a common hiking practice. Inside the car, searchers found a marked road map, an empty water bottle, and Lisa’s sunglasses.

The planned route began at the northeast shore of Trillium Lake, winding 8 kilometers through dense spruce forest before turning east toward Hood River Canyon. Eric had marked three overnight stops: Salmon Creek, a clearing near a rock outcrop, and the foot of Defiance Mountain.

When the students failed to return by August 1, their families raised the alarm. Eric’s mother, Carol Stevens, had tried calling his cell phone repeatedly since July 29, but received no answer. Jonathan’s father, Robert Price, contacted the National Forest Ranger Service, launching an official search on August 2.

Search and Early Clues

Led by veteran ranger Thomas McKenzie, the search party of 12 rangers and six mountaineering volunteers combed the presumed route. At Salmon Creek, they found a campfire ring, tin cans, and plastic bags. A white sock matching Lisa’s shoe size lay in the bushes nearby.

At the second campsite, near a rock outcrop, they found another fire, food scraps, and a rope hanging from a tree—likely used to suspend food or backpacks. The ground showed signs of recent use.

The third point, at Defiance Mountain’s foot, proved more elusive. The trail narrowed and steepened, and after a day’s search, no campsite was found. Over the next week, searchers expanded their efforts, using service dogs and helicopters, but thick vegetation hampered visibility. The dogs lost the students’ scent on a rocky slope.

On August 8, hope flickered when a search dog named Rex discovered the remains of a tent in a ravine two kilometers from Mount Defiance. The tent’s blue fabric matched Eric’s, but it had been cut into pieces with a sharp instrument. Forensic analysis suggested a hunting knife or similar tool. No blood was found.

Nearby lay Jonathan’s torn-open backpack, its contents scattered: wet clothes, canned food, a camping stove, and Jonathan’s notebook. The last entry, dated July 30, read: “Day three reached the rocks. Eric found some interesting rock samples. Tomorrow, we’re going further east.” Jonathan’s sleeping bag, also cut open, was found 15 meters away, containing his t-shirt and jeans.

No other personal items were found. The search shifted from rescue to criminal investigation.

Investigation and Dead Ends

Detective Sarah Thompson led the inquiry, interviewing friends, family, and checking financial records. No evidence of conflict or problems emerged. The ravine where the tent was found was remote—over five kilometers from the nearest road, through rough terrain rarely visited even by rangers.

For two months, volunteers and authorities scoured 50 square kilometers, using thermal cameras and checking caves and crevices. No bodies were found. The case was shelved as unsolved, but families continued searching on their own for years.

Various theories circulated—accident, animal attack, or run-ins with drug traffickers who sometimes used remote forest areas. None were substantiated.

The Terrifying Discovery

A decade later, on May 23, 2009, a team of geologists from the University of Oregon was mapping mineral deposits in Hood River Canyon, seven kilometers northeast of the old campsite. Graduate student Marcus Lawrence descended into a 12-meter-deep crevice that widened into a small cave. His flashlight revealed three human skulls, impaled on wooden stakes driven into cracks in the rock wall, about 1.5 meters above the cave floor and spaced evenly apart, facing the entrance.

Lawrence summoned his colleagues, who called authorities. Detective David Miller, medical examiner Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins, and forensic photographer Steve Adams arrived, navigating the difficult descent with climbing gear.

Dr. Hawkins’ preliminary exam showed all three skulls belonged to young adults, ages 18–25, with no visible trauma or disease. The teeth were well-preserved, enabling identification. The stakes—about 40 centimeters long, fashioned from local oak or ash—had been sharpened with a metal tool.

The cave, roughly 4 by 6 meters with a low ceiling, contained a fire pit lined with stones, ashes indicating it had been used multiple times but not recently. Nearby items included a tin can, plastic water bottle, and a short piece of rope. The can had been opened with a can opener and contained dried food remains.

Access to the cave was so challenging that only someone with climbing experience could have reached it. The skulls were carefully removed for lab analysis. Dr. Hawkins noted the bones were cleaned of all soft tissue, either through natural decomposition or deliberate action.

Identification and Aftermath

DNA samples from the skulls were sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, along with dental records from the missing students. Two weeks later, the results confirmed the remains belonged to Eric Stevens, Jonathan Price, and Lisa Carter.

Eric’s skull bore a small crack on the left temporal bone—cause undetermined. Jonathan’s had chipped teeth, possibly from life or after death. Lisa’s showed no damage. All displayed signs of prolonged exposure to the elements.

Investigators reviewed the original case files, focusing on the cut-up tent and backpack found years earlier, and tried to reconstruct possible routes from the ravine to the cave—a direct path through extremely difficult terrain.

Criminal investigator Steve Adams noted the precise placement of the skulls: stakes driven at equal heights, skulls facing the entrance, spaced exactly apart. The arrangement suggested careful, deliberate action. Analysis of the oak stakes indicated the tree had been cut down about a year before the skulls were found.

Connections to Other Cases

Detective Miller examined other disappearances in Oregon’s forests. The Coleman family—Roger, Cindy, and their children Brad and Emily—vanished in 1997 while hiking near Mount Jefferson, 80 kilometers southeast of the cave. Their car was found, but no trace of the family.

Expanding the search, authorities checked 40 caves within a 20-kilometer radius. In one cave, four kilometers west of the first, they found bones belonging to Roger, Cindy, and Brad Coleman. DNA confirmed their identities, but 12-year-old Emily’s remains were never found.

No evidence pointed to ritual killings by local Native American tribes; experts noted such practices were not characteristic of the region. Police also ruled out known cults, as none operated near Mount Hood National Forest.

Despite exhaustive background checks on hunters, foresters, and individuals with violent criminal records within 100 kilometers, no viable suspects emerged. The case profile suggested someone with deep knowledge of the area, physical endurance, and survival skills—perhaps a hunter or local—but all avenues proved fruitless.

The Lingering Mystery

With no new leads, the investigation was suspended in November 2009. Over six months, more than 200 people were interviewed, dozens of theories explored, and every cave within 30 kilometers searched. The remains were returned to families for burial. Funerals for the students drew hundreds in Portland; the Coleman family was laid to rest in Salem.

Officially, the case remains open, but authorities admit that without new evidence or witnesses, it is unlikely to be solved. The discoveries have cast a shadow over the region. Local residents avoid the cave areas, and rangers report a sharp decline in tourists along these trails.

Theories abound—a serial killer targeting hikers, a mentally disturbed hermit, or ritual murders by a secretive cult. None have been proven. The perpetrator, if one exists, covered their tracks with chilling precision and may have vanished or died, taking the secret with them.

The cases of the missing students and the Coleman family now rank among Oregon’s most baffling unsolved crimes. The caves of Mount Hood National Forest keep their secrets, and the terrifying discovery made a decade after the students vanished only deepened the mystery.

As time passes, new theories occasionally surface, but no concrete leads have emerged. For now, the forest remains silent, and the fate of those who disappeared lingers as a haunting reminder of the wild’s unfathomable depths—and the secrets it may never reveal.