Police have found a missing Oregano man who left home on Christmas day and failed to return. John Michael McLerran threw his friends and family into severe panic before someone found him trapped in a dry well 2 very long days later. But how did he get there?
On Monday, December 25, 2023, Bend, Oregon, was soaked in a festive mood. Laughter, feasting, and hearty cheers filled hundreds of homes in the area. But for McLerran’s family, their celebration was about to grind to a halt.
34-year-old McLerran had left his apartment in midtown Bend in search of coffee. He was expected to be back within minutes. But minutes turned to hours, and he was yet to return. His friends and family began to worry.
“When he was missing, even for six hours, I just knew something was wrong. He was very consistent and very much involved in people’s lives,” his friend Joella Nicole said.
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By evening, his family contacted the Police and kept vigil awaiting his return. Tuesday came, and still no sign of the man.
“At that point, a lot of us were like, ‘We want to find him, but we need to face the fact we may not find him,'” McLerran’s sister, Stacia McLerran, told the press. His loved ones became more frantic. They reached out to hospitals and any other place that came to mind.
They made a poster of the missing person and began spreading the word about his disappearance. On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, they started to form a search party, calling for willing volunteers. The response was encouraging.
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“We had people come from all over the state, and even one person flew out from the other side of the country. So the response was really amazing,” Stacia said. Soon, they had 30 people willing to comb the community.
On Wednesday afternoon, fate would smile at them as a phone call turned their sorrow into joy. A storage facility owner on Norton Street called 911 about a man trapped in a dry well 10-12 feet deep.
Soon, Bend Police and Fire Department were at the parking lot of the storage facility where the hole was located. McLerran reunited with his friends and family less than an hour later.
Bend Police have dismissed any suspicion of foul play. The police communications manager, Sheila Miller, has answered questions regarding how McLerran ended up in the well.
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“Officers reviewed that footage and determined that Mr. McLerran — it appears that he entered the hole on his own, and he didn’t fall into it,” she disclosed. “He chose to get into it. So that’s — there was no one else around. And that’s what our investigation has determined.”
Back home, McLerran’s friends and family couldn’t hide the joy of seeing him again and in one piece. “Finding out he was found was amazing. I’m so grateful,” Nicole announced joyfully.
The family took McLerran to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, where he will receive a medical examination. Despite the cold for 2 days, McLerran seemed to be in great shape after his rescue. His family will never be thankful enough.
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