Account
May 21, 2009
Mar 02, 2024
Gordon
Lopez
60
21
71 inches
72 inches
170 lbs
200 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the cold of early January 1986, 21-year-old Gordon Bethel Lopez, a student at Reed College, disappeared from Portland, Oregon. Known affectionately as "Gordy" or "GB," Gordon was described as a white male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, with a weight ranging from 170 to 200 pounds. He had hazel eyes and reddish-brown hair, and typically wore a beard. A former high school wrestler, he had a slight deformity in his ears. Gordon was known for his casual dress, often seen in jeans and a flannel shirt. When he vanished, so did his distinctive 1972 maroon and red Volvo, leaving his family and friends in a state of profound worry and confusion when he failed to make contact. The Portland Police Bureau was alerted, and a missing person investigation was launched on January 17, 1986. For years, the case of Gordon Lopez remained cold, a painful and unresolved mystery for his loved ones. The absence of leads and the passage of time offered no comfort, only deepening the void left by his sudden disappearance. The investigation continued, but with little information to go on, progress was stalled. His family provided DNA samples in the hopes that they might one day help identify him. Despite the decades that passed, the search for answers never truly ceased, representing a quiet but persistent effort to discover what had become of the young college student who had vanished so long ago. The long and agonizing wait for answers came to a sorrowful end more than 37 years later. On May 9, 2023, a submerged vehicle was located in the Willamette River near the Abernethy Bridge between Oregon City and West Linn. The vehicle was recovered by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office and was identified as the 1972 Volvo that belonged to Gordon Lopez. Tragically, human remains were discovered inside the car. On June 21, 2023, authorities announced that the Clackamas County Medical Examiner's Office, using dental records, had positively identified the remains as those of Gordon Bethel Lopez. The discovery, while heartbreaking, finally closed a missing person case that had spanned nearly four decades, bringing a tragic resolution to his family's prolonged uncertainty about his fate. The overview of this case is one of a sudden disappearance that left a family searching for answers for decades, culminating in the eventual recovery of the missing man's vehicle and remains from a river, which ultimately provided a somber conclusion.
Jan 04, 1986
Portland
Oregon
Multnomah County
Portland
No
7333
Portland Police Bureau
Portland
Oregon
Multnomah County
97204
Heidi Helwig
Detective
1111 Southwest 2nd Avenue, Oregon
5038230400
Local
Law Enforcement
86-5776
1986-01-17
Portland Police Bureau
Red/Auburn
Hazel
Hazel
Yes
05/20/2026
