Jeromy Ivan Childress

• Missing Since 10/17/2004
• Missing From Tillamook County, Oregon
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 09/15/1973 (50)
• Age 31 years old
• Height and Weight 5'10, 170 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A dark brown Carhartt jacket, size 32x34 stonewashed Levi's blue jeans, a blue Nike baseball cap with a lighter blue swoosh on the front, brown Copeland hiking boots, a silver Citizen watch with an eco-drive, and a gold wedding band with five diamonds set at a diagonal angle.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Childress has previously fractured some of the fingers on his right hand. His two upper front teeth are crooked and the left one is chipped. He has a tattoo of a dolphin and the number 14376 on his right shoulderblade and a tattoo of a rising phoenix on his left shoulder. He smokes Marlboro Reds cigarettes. Childress had a mustache at the time of his disappearance.

Details of Disappearance

Childress was on an annual elk hunting trip with Shane Luey and Luey's young son, Shane Jr., in Tillamook County, Oregon on October 17, 2004. He was last seen at 4:30 p.m. that day at Tucca Creek Road and Boundary Road in the Tillamook National Forest. He was was carrying a rifle, a wallet, his car keys, half a pack of cigarettes, and possibly a pocketknife at the time of his disappearance.

Childress became separated from his companions in the forest after they became lost trying to find their way back to camp. He walked into the brush alone, saying he thought he could find the camp by himself.

The Lueys eventually made it to the rendezvous point, but Childress never arrived. All of his overnight gear was left behind at camp. He has never been heard from again and an extensive search turned up no clues as to his whereabouts.

At the time of his disappearance, Childress was employed as an industrial bridge painter and blaster. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and boating.

The area where he vanished is very steep, rugged, brush-covered terrain with lots of gullies and fallen trees, and populated with wild animals including bears, cougars and coyotes. Foul play is not suspected in his disappearance; it is believed that Childress became lost or injured in the wilderness and died.

His wife obtained a death certificate for him in 2006 based on that theory. She will now be able to sell their jointly owned property and collect Social Security benefits for their two children.