Jarrette Werk
Underscore Native News
The search is still underway for 71-year-old Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla elder, Wesley Dixon Jones, who has been missing since Oct. 5, 2025.
Jones’ daughter, Mollyanne Jones, told Underscore Native News, it’s been 17 days since her father went missing.
“Every day I have been going out, and my community has been so beautiful because they show up and they help me go look for my dad,” she added.
Jones, whose nickname is “Buller,” was last seen on camera in a vehicle. He was wearing a black and red Tiger Scott jacket, black sweatpants and boots. Jones is described as 5-feet, 8-inch-tall, weighing approximately 140 pounds with long black hair and brown eyes, according to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) press release on Oct. 16.
According to the release, after Jones had not returned home that evening, his family reported him missing at around 10:44 p.m., also on Oct. 5.
Detective William Morris, of the Umatilla Tribal Police Department, is handling Jones’ case.
According to Detective Morris, Jones was last seen in a vehicle at approximately 3:15 p.m.
“On October 5, [Jones] was in a vehicle traveling east on Short Mile Road in the afternoon, and when that vehicle returned west on the same road, he was no longer visible in the vehicle,” said Detective Morris.
Detective Morris said the UTPD is continuing to follow every lead that comes their way. As for the identity of the person driving the vehicle, Detective Morris has chosen not to disclose that with the public for the time being.
“It is an open investigation, and we’re treating it as a criminal investigation, because that’s still a possibility,” said Detective Morris.
According to the family and Detective Morris, this is the first time Jones has been reported missing.
Jones was known to be a skilled outdoorsman who was raised with his traditional Washut ways. He hunted and fished on the lands and waters of his homelands around the Umatilla River, since he was a young boy.
“My dad’s a survivalist, and he knows these rivers and ridges in this land, very, very, very well,” Mollyanne Jones said.
“There’s some things that are very odd about when he went missing, like certain things that he normally would have had on him, he didn’t have,” she added.
“In particular, he enjoyed fishing along the river where he went missing. So I find it unlikely that he is lost,” Detective Morris told Underscore Native News. “There must be some other circumstance related to his disappearance.”
Since Oct. 6 UTPD has worked with Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue to organize two canine searches, two ground searches and three aerial searches of sections of the river where Jones was known to frequent.
Mollyanne Jones said that since the first week of her father’s disappearance, she has helped conduct searches on foot, on horseback and on kayaks along the river near his property.
Canine trackers used led the search to the water, according to Mollyanne Jones and Detective Morris.
As with many MMIP cases, the family has serious concerns about the lack of resources that are available to be deployed during the ongoing search.
“It makes me very angry and frustrated at the police, the tribal police, because they don’t have the resources,” Mollyanne Jones told Underscore Native News.
According to Kimberly Lining, founder of The MMIW Search and Hope Alliance, an Indigenous led volunteer group based in Oregon, they are looking for volunteers to help share flyers in the nearby area of Pendleton. They are also seeking volunteers willing to hike through rough terrain while out on search parties.
The MMIW Search and Hope Alliance is organizing a three-day search starting Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, 2025.