Wesley Dixon Jones, 71, an elder of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and known to some as Buller, disappeared on the afternoon of October 5, 2025. He was last seen about 3:15 p.m. seated in the passenger seat of a gray 2003 Ford Escape on Short Mile Road, a rural stretch of reservation land near Pendleton, Oregon. When the vehicle was observed again roughly two and a half hours later heading west, Jones was no longer inside.
Jones is 5 feet 8 inches, about 140 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black and red Tigerscot jacket, a black shirt, black sweatpants, and boots. His family reported him missing that evening; they said it was highly unusual for an experienced outdoorsman who knew the local lands intimately not to return.
An extensive search followed, led by the Umatilla Tribal Police Department with assistance from other agencies and volunteers. Canine teams, aerial drones, ground searches and sonar scans along the Umatilla River corridor were used; a five-member FBI dive team searched Johnley Pond in early December but found no clues.
If anyone saw Wesley on Short Mile Road or in the reservation area on October 5, or has information about the woman driving the Ford Escape, please come forward.