Officials seek help finding missing Eugene teen believed in danger

Oregon child welfare officials asked the public to help find 16-year-old Jaylynn O’Hara after she disappeared near Alton Baker Park on June 29 and was believed to be in danger. The alert, posted July 1, pushed the case to the top of Lane County’s public-safety concerns and urged anyone who spots her to act immediately.

Officials said O’Hara was believed to be in the Eugene area, though she may also be in Springfield or Corvallis. The search has focused on places where she is known to spend time: Station 7, New Roads, Hosea Youth Shelter, the 7-Eleven at Eighth Avenue and Highway 99, and Skinner Butte in Eugene. Those locations stretch across shelters, retail stops and popular gathering areas, creating multiple places where residents, commuters and people moving through the city could see her.

The alert also included a physical description with her height, weight, hair and eye color, along with several piercings. That information is especially important in a case like this, where a quick glance at a park trail, a convenience store lot, a bus stop or a shelter entrance could be the difference between a safe recovery and more time missing.

Officials said children who go missing may be in serious danger and asked anyone with information to call 911 or local law enforcement right away. The Oregon Child Abuse Hotline was also listed as a reporting option for people with concerns about child safety. Anyone in Eugene, Springfield or nearby communities who has seen O’Hara, or who recognizes her from Alton Baker Park, Skinner Butte, Highway 99 or the other places named in the alert, could help bring the search to a close.