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John Wood And Jason Wood Found Dead: Police Find Bodies Of Father And Son Missing Since 2014, Killed In Apparent Murder-Suicide

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 13:54 PST, Jul 23, 2016

The bodies of John Kevin Wood and his son, Jason Anthony Wood, were found nearly two years after the pair disappeared in 2014, with authorities saying they died in an apparent murder-suicide.

The Kentucky men, who were 59 and 32 when they disappeared in September 2014, were found late this week by U.S. Forest Service workers who were conducting a survey in a deeply forested area of Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon Live reported.

The search for the missing father and son began in September 2014, when their abandoned Kia Rio sedan was found on Oregon Route 35. There was a search conducted at the time, but it concluded with no signs of the missing father and son.

It would remain that way for nearly two years, until the mystery of their disappearance was solved this week. Their bodies were found off the Dog River trailhead, close to a half mile from where the car was found in 2014.

A report from Oregon Live noted at the time of their disappearance that the men were planning to hike in the Mt. Hood area and along the Pacific Crest trail. The discovery of their car and an abundance of camping gear inside made it appear as if the father and son may have gotten lost during a hike into the deep forest.

“The car, which was towed two days later, was found to have sleeping bags, a stove and a ‘significant amount’ of other hiking gear inside, suggesting to authorities that the men had not embarked on a multi-day hike, the news release states.

“A fast-food receipt dated Sept. 2 was also found in the car, and the Hood River restaurant confirmed that John Wood had been there on that date, police said.”

But there was plenty of mystery surrounding the disappearance of John Wood and Jason Wood. Police at the time noted that neither man had been in contact with family or neighbors for several weeks before they went missing, and investigators could not find any maps or written plans indicating where they might be going hiking or how long they planned to be gone.

There are still many unanswered questions about their disappearance. The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Saturday announcing that the bodies had been found, but did not note which man may have killed the other.

“On July 21, 2016, workers with the US Forest Service had been in the area conducting a survey when they discovered the bodies of the two men,” the release noted. “Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and US Forest Service completed their analysis of the scene on July 22, 2016 and were able to positively identify the bodies of the missing men. The investigation is ongoing; however evidence at the scene indicates that the men died as a result of a murder/suicide.”

Police also did not discuss a possible motive for the murder-suicide, or whether the men had any previous disagreements.

The discovery of John Wood and Jason Wood was announced within hours of another missing person case coming to a tragic conclusion. More than 1,000 miles from where authorities found the missing father and son, investigators in Ohio discovered the body of 20-year-old Sierah Joughin, who had gone missing after going on a bike ride with her boyfriend on Tuesday night.

Police in Ohio have arrested 57-year-old James Worley, initially charging him with a felony count of abduction. Police announced on Saturday that they would be adding new charges, but did not yet say what those would be.

The apparent murder-suicide of John Wood and Jason Wood also remains under investigation, authorities noted.

[Image via Hood River County Sheriff’s Office]

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