The parents of a missing Oregon woman who was last seen with her boyfriend are pleading for answers after no evidence was uncovered to verify claims that she vanished on a hike with him.
Allyson Watterson, 20, was believed to have become separated from her boyfriend, Benjamin Garland, last Sunday during a hike in North Plains — but authorities suspended the search when they couldn’t verify that she was in the area, OregonLive reported.
“I would do anything to get my daughter back,” her mother, Misty Watterson, told news station KOIN. “That’s my little girl. I just want some answers.”
Misty and Allyson’s father have posted thousands of flyers around the Oregon Coast as they call on anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact authorities, the report said.
“Call it in anonymously, you don’t have to say your name, they don’t have to know who you are,” Misty told the outlet.
Her father, Allan, added: “Why would you not say something? How could you not? How could you not?”
Washington County Sheriff’s Office said there was a 30-hour delay between the time Watterson was last seen and when her boyfriend’s father, Don Garland, reported her missing.
His father told deputies that he and his son spent the day looking for Watterson but were unsuccessful.
“We’ve never been able to verify this narrative,” Deputy Brian van Kleef said in a press release.
Van Kleef said the men were hesitant to file a report because there were multiple outstanding warrants for Benjamin’s arrest. He has since been collared on charges unrelated to Watterson’s disappearance.
