OR MICHAEL BRYSON: Missing from Hobo Camp, Lane Co, OR - 5 Aug 2020 - Age 27

DORENA, Ore. -- Search efforts have grown to find 27-year-old Michael Bryson who went missing early Wednesday morning.

Bryson was camping at the Hobo Camp Campground with friends last week when he wandered away from the site Wednesday morning and that was the last time he was seen.


The search is not isolated to just the campground and surrounding areas. Friends have deployed into cities all over western Oregon looking for any leads that could point them to where he might be.

His family said the longest they've ever gone without hearing from him is two days.

"It's very rare that five days in he would not have reached out to mom, dad, or sister," his uncle said.

The effort to find Bryson has grown beyond just those who knew him.

A facebook group with more than 2,000 members is dedicated to finding the young man.

The man's dad said Bryson doesn't know a stranger. He said his son was kind and friendly to everyone he met. He said he hopes that's the energy that brings him home.

A $10,000 reward is available for any information leading to his discovery, all which was donated to fuel efforts to find him.

Search efforts ramp up for missing Eugene man

The search for Michael Bryson has grown to a 2,000-member Facebook group and a $10,000 reward for information that helps find him.

www.kezi.com

MICHAEL BRYSON has been missing from HOBO CAMP in LANE COUNTY OREGON since 8/5/20! 27 years old & 6'2" tall. CALL IN THAT TIP, NO MATTER HOW SMALL!

For more information on active searches and updates , go to the Let's Find Michael Bryson on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1180812175619844/

www.crimewatchers.net

MEDIA - MICHAEL BRYSON: Missing from Hobo Camp, Lane Co, OR since 5 Aug 2020 - Age 27

 

[Guess Who]

Michael Bryson wandered away from a party in 2020. He hasn't been heard from since

Then 27, Michael Bryson was last seen at Hobo Campground in the Umpqua National Forest in 2020.

www.registerguard.com

Michael Bryson wandered away from a party in 2020. He hasn't been heard from since​

Michael Bryson was 27 when he went missing Aug. 5, 2020, during a party at Hobo Campground in the Umpqua National Forest near Dorena, Oregon.

Five years have passed, and his parents, Tina and Parrish Bryson, are still searching for answers.

"We're not at peace with what happened to Michael. We're not at peace with bringing Michael home, but we're at peace knowing Michael's not suffering and he's OK," Tina Bryson said.


His parents are convinced someone murdered their son, though police have found no evidence of it so far.

Lane County Sheriff's Office Detective Joshua Conway said investigators haven't ruled out foul play.

"If this does happen to be a criminal investigation, there is some stuff we can't disclose," Conway said. "By all means, if we believe there is a criminal component to it, we will absolutely see that through to the very end."


Conway is the third detective in the last five years to lead the investigation into Michael's disappearance. The case, which was assigned to him in March 2025, remains open and active. He said he receives new tips regularly and is still investigating leads from a search and rescue and criminal investigation standpoint.

“Michael Bryson was a person. He was Tina and Parrish’s son. He was a friend to many. The fact that it’s been five years and they don’t have any answers regarding their son is heartbreaking and it’s my case now and I’ll speak for the sheriff’s office when I say we will not stop looking for him until he’s located and brought back home to them," Conway said.


Both of Michael's parents continue to cope with the grief of losing their son and not knowing what happened to him.

"All I want right now is Michael home. I want to bring Michael home for mom, for me, for Krista and his friends," Parrish Bryson said. "We don’t have a body. We don’t have closure. We don’t know what happened to Michael or where Michael is at."

"If the evil of this world thought that they were snuffing out Michael's flame, boy, did they get it wrong," Parrish Bryson said. "They have ignited a flame in Michael and his story, and it will burn forever."

I'm not leaning towards murdered, but definitely leaning to a mishap involving drugs. Drugs he most likely took willingly, but with an awful outcome.

 

[Tresir]

Did they ever get the DNA results from the skull that was found? I read they were getting it tested but have heard nothing more.

 

[Kimster]

Did they ever get the DNA results from the skull that was found? I read they were getting it tested but have heard nothing more.

I asked somebody that’s in the know and they said they hadn’t heard anything. I haven’t seen the Bryson family in a long time to ask them personally. I see them so rarely that I hate to ask dark questions, if that makes sense.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

DNA results finally back. Shane had additional remains found and identified prior to this as well.

https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/local/2025/08/29/bone-fragments-blue-river-belong-to-shane-sprenger/85865009007/

DNA lab identifies bone fragments as missing Blue River man, Shane Sprenger​

Bone fragments located in the McKenzie River in 2023 belonged to Shane Sprenger, a 47-year-old man who went missing near Blue River under suspicious circumstances Nov. 3, 2021.

Lane County Sheriff's Office officials said Bode Technology, a Virginia-based DNA lab, confirmed the identification Aug. 28, and detectives are continuing to investigate the case, which remains active.

Lane County Sheriff's detective continue to investigate death of Blue River man

In November of 2021, Shane Sprenger, 47, of Blue River, went missing under suspicious circumstances in the area of Blue River Reservoir. Deputies began investig

nbc16.com

Lane County Sheriff's detective continue to investigate death of Blue River man
The Lane County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) has confirmed that human remains found in the McKenzie drainage area belong to Shane Sprenger, a 47-year-old man from Blue River who, authorities say, went missing in November 2021 under suspicious circumstances.

LCSO says back in June 2023, partial remains were discovered in the McKenzie drainage area, near the Blue River Reservoir, however subsequent searches yielded no additional evidence, said the sheriff's office in a press release.

In September 2023, a bone fragment was found in the McKenzie River, near the area, and sent to the Oregon State Police crime lab.

After significant delays, the family of Sprenger was assisted with fundraising by Dylan’s Legacy, a non-profit that assists families of missing people, to have the bone fragment tested for DNA at Bode Technology in Virginia.

On August 28, the lab confirmed the bone belonged to Sprenger, and his family was notified.

 

[Guess Who]

DNA results finally back. Shane had additional remains found and identified prior to this as well.

https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/local/2025/08/29/bone-fragments-blue-river-belong-to-shane-sprenger/85865009007/

DNA lab identifies bone fragments as missing Blue River man, Shane Sprenger​

Bone fragments located in the McKenzie River in 2023 belonged to Shane Sprenger, a 47-year-old man who went missing near Blue River under suspicious circumstances Nov. 3, 2021.

Lane County Sheriff's Office officials said Bode Technology, a Virginia-based DNA lab, confirmed the identification Aug. 28, and detectives are continuing to investigate the case, which remains active.

Lane County Sheriff's detective continue to investigate death of Blue River man

In November of 2021, Shane Sprenger, 47, of Blue River, went missing under suspicious circumstances in the area of Blue River Reservoir. Deputies began investig

nbc16.com

Lane County Sheriff's detective continue to investigate death of Blue River man
The Lane County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) has confirmed that human remains found in the McKenzie drainage area belong to Shane Sprenger, a 47-year-old man from Blue River who, authorities say, went missing in November 2021 under suspicious circumstances.

LCSO says back in June 2023, partial remains were discovered in the McKenzie drainage area, near the Blue River Reservoir, however subsequent searches yielded no additional evidence, said the sheriff's office in a press release.

In September 2023, a bone fragment was found in the McKenzie River, near the area, and sent to the Oregon State Police crime lab.

After significant delays, the family of Sprenger was assisted with fundraising by Dylan’s Legacy, a non-profit that assists families of missing people, to have the bone fragment tested for DNA at Bode Technology in Virginia.

On August 28, the lab confirmed the bone belonged to Sprenger, and his family was notified.

Somebody has answers to where their loved one is, at least.