Kristie Ann Miltimore, 41, of Bend, was found dead in a black 2010 Ford Edge at a Mill City 7-Eleven in the early morning hours of August 5, 2026. The initial 4:14 a.m. call to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office reported a self-inflicted gunshot wound; deputies found Kristie without a pulse in the vehicle. Medical responders pronounced her dead at the scene.

A man identified as 51-year-old Rian Eugene Bernhardt of Bend was at the scene and behaving erratically; investigators say the fatal shot occurred at an unknown location nearby rather than at the convenience store. Bernhardt was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. Court records show a prior felony fourth-degree assault domestic violence conviction in March 2020 and bail was set at $75,000.

One news report in the days after the discovery stated police believed Kristie’s death was a suicide, but authorities continued a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. Did anyone see Kristie, Bernhardt, or the Ford Edge in Mill City in the hours before August 5?