Human Remains Found Believed to Be Missing Oregon Woman: Sheriff

Allyson Watterson, 20, in a file photo. (Washington County Sheriff's Office)

Officials said that human remains discovered near Portland likely belong to those of a woman who was reported missing late last year.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon said in a news release (pdf) that deputies were called to investigate the discovery of the remains on a property located at Northwest Corey Road in North Plains, which is about 23 miles west of Portland.

“Based on the location of the remains and evidence found at the scene, detectives suspect the remains are those of Allyson Watterson,” the sheriff’s office said, referring to the 20-year-old woman who disappeared in December 2019.

Watterson was reported missing about 30 hours after she was last seen in North Plains and was with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Benjamin Hunter Garland, the sheriff’s office said. Garland was the one who reported her missing.

Garland in April was sentenced to prison on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, fraudulent use of a credit card, and second-degree theft in cases unrelated to Watterson’s disappearance, officials told Fox12.

Watterson’s mother said they were visiting friends in the area when Garland’s truck broke down. The two then went to look for help but got separated, and Watterson hasn’t been seen since.

Garland hasn’t been named as a suspect in her disappearance.

“The Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office will work to identify the remains. The family of Ms. Watterson has been notified of the discovery and are asking for privacy. The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available for release,” the news release said.