On Monday, August 3rd, 2020, 27-year-old Michael Bryson paid a visit to his parents in Harrisburg, Oregon. He informed them that he would be travelling up to Hobo Campground near Dorena, Oregon, for a week of partying and camping with some friends. No one knew that would be the final time they’d see or speak with their son.
The disappearance of Michael Bryson
Michael Bryson was last seen on August 5, 2020, in the Hobo Camp roadside campground located off Brice Creek Road near Dorena, Oregon. At approximately 4:30 a.m., Michael is alleged to have strayed away from a group of friends, and it is unclear in which direction he was heading. Since then, Michael has not been seen or heard from.
He left his camping gear behind at the campground, his phone was powered off, and his bank account hasn’t been accessed since.
The search for Michael Bryson
Michael’s parents weren’t aware of their son’s disappearance until 5 p.m. that day. They immediately drove to the nearby forested area where an investigation led by “Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue” into Bryson’s disappearance turned up little leads as to his whereabouts.
In fact, horses, drones, and hundreds of rescue volunteers were dispatched in the search for the missing person at the campground in Dorena, Oregon, but they were left clueless in the end.
His parents, on the other hand, are suspicious of the people he spent time with on the camping trip, particularly those he partied with the night he went missing.
Michael’s mother Tina Bryson told, “By the time we found out, it was almost twelve hours since he had been missing. The moment I put my foot out of the car. I knew Michael was gone. People weren’t looking for Michael. They were sitting around, drinking, eating, laughing – nobody was out searching for him, so I felt in my gut something had happened.”
According to Michael’s father, Parrish Bryson, they never got a straight explanation concerning Michael from the partygoers, and he believes they know more than they are letting on.
“The stories given by some of the people at the party are inconsistent,” Parrish said. “And most of those people left the day Michael went missing and continued to hold raves and parties.”
According to him, while many people had left the campgrounds, a few friends and a few strangers remained to dedicate their time and efforts to the search for the missing Michael Bryson.
“We stayed at the campgrounds for 19 days looking for our son,” Parrish said. “And we’re truly grateful for those who stayed and helped.”
The appearance of Michael Bryson
Michael Bryson was a Caucasian man in his late twenties. He has brown hair and green eyes and measures 6’2″ tall and weigh 180 pounds. He has a pierced nose.
Michael has a number of tattoos, which are seen here. Hands shaking with “Stay strong my brothers” on his rib cage, a geometric bear on the back of his arm, an elephant on his right leg, a tree inside a diamond on his lower front leg, and a lion face on his left leg.
He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts and white crocs with rainbows on them.
Michael’s family and friends turned to social media to help spread the word of his disappearance. A Facebook group called “Lets Find Michael Bryson” already has more than 21,000 members who include family, friends, the community and people from around the world.
Detective Smith told Dateline that Michael Bryson’s disappearance is still an ongoing, active investigation and that they are doing everything they can to bring him home. They urge anyone with information to call the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone who may have information about Michael’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150 then press 1 and reference case #20-5286. The $10,000 reward gathered by his family is being offered for information that leads to Michael.