Friends and family of Trace Tipton, a 33-year-old man, reported him missing this week to the Gresham Police.
The Portland resident was last seen on Sept 13, in his White Chevrolet Astro Van near the McDonalds, 3330 N.E 82nd Ave. His mother was the last person to have spoken to him, by phone, Sept. 19.
Police characterized Tipton as being depressed and a drug user while friends said he had been sober for some time. He was officially reported missing Sept. 27.
http://liarcatchers.com/missing_persons_investigations.html
“There were no suspicious circumstances reported,” said Gresham police spokesman Claudio GrandJean. “But they did report that he is a drug user and depressed and I add that because … it’s not unusual for a person like that to disappear at times.”
A press release from his family stated his mother, Kim Mays, arrived in Portland from Indiana this week and could not reach Tipton when she arrived. She’s since been driving around Portland looking for him. Tipton spoke with his mother on Sept. 19 to make final preparations for a camping trip they were set to take the following week. He has not been heard from since that conversation.
In the release, his mother said it is not unusual for Tipton to take off for a few days on a last-minute hiking trip without telling anyone, but it was out of character for him to miss her arrival. His mother said she attempted to contact Tipton several times on his cell phone but has learned that the phone has been disconnected.
GrandJean said many people are reported as missing and typically turn up on their own.
“My son and I love camping,” Mays said. “We were looking forward to this for weeks. There’s no way he’d ever skip out, especially with me traveling so far to kick off our trip.”
Tipton was recently working on a book about living on the streets in Portland. He is a white male, approximately 6’2” tall and about 220 pounds. He has black hair, hazel eyes and a large black beard.
Identifying tattoos include a mushroom patch on the lower left side of his abdomen above the left pelvic bone as well as a pistol on the inside of his front left forearm with words that read “Rise Above Burn It Down.”
Tipton may be driving his White Chevrolet Astro Van believed to have Oregon license plates. The exact plate number is unknown, the family said.
