Missing Rock Creek Woman Found In Roseburg

ROCK CREEK, OR — After nearly three full days of searching, Lane County Sheriff's officials reportedly located missing Rock Creek woman Demi Helenius Tuesday night.

Helenius was said to be found safe and in good health around 8:30 p.m. Aug. 8 in Roseburg, according to Washington County Sheriff's officials. Multiple agencies assisted in the search effort, which began Saturday night when Helenius did not return home — or make her whereabouts known — following a conference at the Portland Embassy Suites.

Following her reported disappearance, Helenius' phone and car were found in Creswell and Cottage Grove, respectively. The unusual circumstances surrounding the discovery of those items led four different law enforcement agencies — covering about 180 miles between Portland and Roseburg — to initiate search efforts. After she was found, it was determined that Helenius was at no time in any danger, and that her motivations for leaving were entirely personal.

"Ms. Helenius left on her own for personal reasons," WCSO spokesman Dep. Jeff Talbot said in a statement. "When she was located, Ms. Helenius was found to be not in danger and in very good health. Though the manner in which she did it caused a lot of people (including us) much concern, we respect her privacy."

According to Sheriff's officials, Helenius attended a conference at the Portland Embassy Suites Friday and Saturday. Though she returned home from the conference Friday night, she did not return Saturday.

Helenius' parents told deputies that she is typically "very good" about calling them and providing updates as to her whereabouts and plans; when they didn't hear from her by 10 p.m. Saturday — after the conference was expected to conclude — they tried calling her. No one answered.

When they tried calling again an hour later a woman answered the phone, but it was not their daughter — it was an employee at a Dairy Queen in Creswell, 119 miles south of the Portland Embassy Suites.

The Dairy Queen employee said a man had given her the phone at the drive-thru window after reportedly finding it in a nearby parking lot.

Using the Dairy Queen surveillance footage to identify the man's license plate, investigators with the Lane County Sheriff's Office tracked him down and learned he picked up the phone after watching someone else "throw an object from a car," police said. Detectives are investigating this claim.

Back in Washington County, sheriff's officials released Helenius' missing person information to local news outlets on Aug. 6.

Based on tips received Monday, police located Helenius' Volkswagen in Cottage Grove, about 10 miles south of Creswell. An initial investigation of the car showed no signs of foul play, police said, though the car was delivered to the Oregon State Police crime lab for processing.

Multiple tips received Tuesday led Lane County deputies to Helenius' location. The Oregon State Police, Tigard Police, and Cottage Grove Police also assisted in the search and investigation.

Photo Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff's Office