Case file
Key facts
- Name: Wesley Dixon Jones, known to family and friends as “Buller”
- Age at disappearance: 71
- Missing since: October 5, 2025
- Location: East Short Mile Road, Umatilla Indian Reservation, near Mission and Pendleton, Oregon
- Description: Native American, 5 feet 8 inches tall, about 140 pounds, long black hair and brown eyes. Last seen wearing a black and red Tigerscott jacket, a black shirt, black sweatpants and boots. He is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
- Status: Still missing — one year after he vanished, the Confederated Umatilla Journal reported on October 5, 2026, that he remains missing, and the FBI still lists him in its Kidnappings and Missing Persons listings
- Investigating agency: Umatilla Tribal Police Department, 541-278-0550; Det. William Morris, 541-969-7139
The ride on Short Mile Road
Wesley Dixon Jones, 71, was last seen on camera at about 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, 2025, riding in the passenger seat of his own gray 2003 Ford Escape — Oregon license plate SM15454 — traveling east on East Short Mile Road on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, his elbow resting out the window. When the same vehicle was seen traveling west on the same road later, Jones was no longer visible inside it. The vehicle was later located back at his property with a flat tire, which the Umatilla Tribal Police Department (UTPD) says was sustained that day and driven on.
His family reported him missing at 10:44 p.m. that night. UTPD Det. William Morris, assigned to the case two days later, told the Confederated Umatilla Journal (CUJ) in October 2026 that investigators believe the camera timestamps could be off by roughly 30 to 40 minutes, that about 40 to 45 minutes passed between the footage showing Jones in the vehicle and the next footage showing the driver alone, and that the vehicle remained in the area for another two to three hours before leaving without him. The vehicle was searched; Morris said investigators found no blood evidence in it. The UTPD has not publicly disclosed the driver’s identity, saying only that Jones was with a family member. His daughter Molly told the CUJ the driver was her father’s partner, Dana Harwood, who confirmed to the CUJ that she was in the car with him that day and was the last person to see him; she recalled him saying he was going to walk over to “look at the view.”
Searching the river
Searchers concentrated on the Umatilla River. Jones, a survivalist who knew the area’s canyons, ridges and fishing holes, was thought to possibly have gone fishing near a rugged stretch locals call the Maze, between the Highway 331 bridge and the railroad tracks. The UTPD and the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team ran two canine searches, three aerial drone searches and foot searches. Two trailing dogs picked up his scent near his Parr Lane property, and one dog alerted on the water, focusing the search on the river. In late October 2025, the UTPD and FBI marked deep pools from Nicktyoway Road to the Highway 331 bridge so the MMIW Search & Hope Alliance could scan them with an AquaEye sonar device. An FBI dive team searched Johnley Pond on December 10, 2025, and found nothing. A red bandana found during the search was determined not to belong to Jones. One lead — a report that he had been seen at Arrowhead Travel Plaza that night — was investigated and ruled out.
In January 2026, the UTPD said it had exhausted its leads and the case was open but functionally inactive. That changed on March 20, 2026, when the Confederated Tribes announced four new tips in the previous month, some substantial enough to trigger additional searches at nearby and more distant locations. Those searches found nothing significant, but Morris said that as long as tips continued coming in, the department would not label the case cold. Jones turned 72 on March 28, 2026, while still missing.
What is not known
Where Jones got out of his own vehicle, and what happened next, remains unknown a year later. Investigators found no fishing equipment in the areas searched away from his home, and his daughter has questioned the fishing theory because his favorite fishing pole was not strapped to the top of the car, as was his routine. “As the cause of his disappearance remains unknown, we have not ruled out possibilities, including whether his disappearance was accidental or non-accidental,” Morris told the CUJ. “Foul play will be a consideration until information leads us towards or away from that conclusion.” The FBI’s listing likewise notes he may have gone fishing on the Umatilla River, but that foul play is also being considered.
On September 28, 2026, his family gathered at the Mission Longhouse to mark a year without him — his daughters standing with red handprints painted across their faces, a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People movement — still asking anyone who knows something to come forward. “I wake up thinking about him,” his sister Linda Jones said.
Have information?
Contact the Umatilla Tribal Police Department at 541-278-0550 or Det. William Morris at 541-969-7139. The UTPD has also asked for road-facing camera footage from October 5, 2025, between Cayuse Road and Bingham Road, and from Short Mile Road to Cayuse Road including River Road, showing the gray Ford Escape.
Timeline
- October 5, 2025, ~3:15 p.m. — Last seen on camera in the passenger seat of his gray 2003 Ford Escape (plate SM15454), traveling east on East Short Mile Road.
- October 5, 2025, later — The vehicle is seen traveling west on the same road without him visible inside; it is later found at his property with a flat tire.
- October 5, 2025, 10:44 p.m. — Family reports him missing to the Umatilla Tribal Police Department.
- October 2025 — Canine, drone and foot searches along the Umatilla River; dogs pick up his scent and one alerts on the water.
- October 29 – November 2, 2025 — UTPD and FBI mark deep river pools; MMIW Search & Hope Alliance runs an AquaEye sonar search.
- December 10, 2025 — FBI dive team searches Johnley Pond; nothing is found.
- January 2026 — UTPD says leads are exhausted; the investigation is open but functionally inactive.
- March 20, 2026 — CTUIR announces four new tips and further searches; UTPD says it will not label the case cold while tips arrive.
- October 5, 2026 — One year on, the CUJ reports he is still missing. No report of him being found has been published.
FAQ
Is Wesley Dixon Jones still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, a full year after he disappeared, he remains missing. The Confederated Umatilla Journal’s one-year investigation, published October 5, 2026, is titled “Wesley Jones: Still missing,” and the FBI continues to list him as a missing person.
Where was Wesley Dixon Jones last seen?
On camera at about 3:15 p.m. on October 5, 2025, in the passenger seat of his gray 2003 Ford Escape, traveling east on East Short Mile Road on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Mission and Pendleton, Oregon.
What happened to Wesley Dixon Jones?
That is not known. His vehicle later traveled the same road without him visible inside and was found back at his property with a flat tire. Searches of the Umatilla River — by dogs, drones, sonar and an FBI dive team — found nothing, and investigators say they have not ruled out either an accident or foul play.
What vehicle was he in?
His own gray 2003 Ford Escape, Oregon license plate SM15454. Note the corrected plate: an early poster printed SM15254, but the FBI and Umatilla Tribal Police confirm SM15454.
What does Wesley Dixon Jones look like?
A Native American man, 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 140 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black and red Tigerscott jacket, a black shirt, black sweatpants and boots.
How long has Wesley Dixon Jones been missing?
Since October 5, 2025 — just over a year as of October 20, 2026. He was 71 when he disappeared and turned 72 on March 28, 2026.
Who is investigating?
The Umatilla Tribal Police Department, at 541-278-0550 (Det. William Morris, 541-969-7139), with FBI involvement. The FBI lists him in its Kidnappings and Missing Persons listings.
How can I help?
Share any road-facing camera footage from October 5, 2025, in the Short Mile Road, Cayuse Road, Bingham Road and River Road area, and call the UTPD with any detail — four tips in early 2026 were enough to restart searches.
Sources
- Tribal news (one-year investigation): Confederated Umatilla Journal (CUJ), “Wesley Jones: Still missing” (October 5, 2026 — surveillance timeline and timestamp caveat per Det. William Morris; vehicle searched, no blood evidence; fishing theory questioned; “foul play will be a consideration”; family gathering September 28, 2026; UTPD 541-278-0550).
- Official / tribal: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, “UTPD, FBI Mark Locations for Upcoming Search for Missing Tribal Member” (October 2025 — last seen ~3:15 p.m. October 5 on east Short Mile Road in a gray 2003 Ford Escape, plate SM15454; 5’8″, 140 lbs, long black hair, brown eyes, black and red Tiger Scott jacket; two canine searches, three drone searches, foot searches since October 6; UTPD 541-278-0550, Morris 541-969-7139).
- Official / tribal: CTUIR, “UTPD Exhausts Leads, No Further Searches Planned for Missing Wesley Jones” (January 2026 — leads exhausted; investigation open but functionally inactive; tips to 541-278-0550).
- Indigenous news: Buffalo’s Fire, “Search for missing elder gets help from AI” (October 30, 2025 — family photograph of Wesley Dixon Jones with his daughter Mollyanne, April 13, 2025, credit Mollyanne Jones; reported missing 10:44 p.m.; AquaEye sonar search October 31–November 2; foul play not ruled in or out).
- Official / law enforcement: FBI, Kidnappings and Missing Persons listing for Wesley Dixon Jones (circumstances as listed: last seen on camera ~3:15 p.m. October 5, 2025, on east Short Mile Road in his gray 2003 Ford Escape, plate SM15454; vehicle later located at his residence with a flat tire; may have gone fishing on the Umatilla River; foul play also being considered; CTUIR member).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 20, 2026.