Parents of Missing Student Owen Klinger Say They Believe Body Found in Willamette River Is Their Son

The police bureau has turned the body over to the Medical Examiner's Office.

(Abby Gordon)

The parents of 18-year old University of Portland student Owen Klinger issued a statement this afternoon saying they believe a body police found in the Willamette River on Sunday is that of their son.

The Portland Police Bureau responded to a report of a body found in the Willamette River at the 9400 block of Northwest St. Helens Road just before 1 pm Sunday. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office recovered the body.

No other details have been released about the person's identity , and the body has been turned over to the Medical Examiner's Office for further examination.

The parents of Klinger, who went missing on Oct. 6, released the following statement after being notified by the police bureau that a body had been found.

"Portland police have notified us that they have recovered a body that we believe is our son, Owen Klinger. We deeply appreciate the extraordinary effort and support that thousands of people have provided over the past two weeks. We now ask for privacy as we move forward with our healing process," the statement read.

The disappearance of Klinger alarmed much of the city and united the University of Portland campus in an effort to find the missing freshman. Last week, the Portland Police Bureau outlined a theory that Klinger had hopped a freight train, but his parents found that unpersuasive.

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