‘We are broken.’ Body of 21-year-old last seen at gas station is found, OR family says

The body of a man who had been missing since October was found in Oregon by family and volunteers, according to media outlets and the family.

Miles Stanton, 21, was last seen on Oct. 20 at a 76 gas station in Aurora, according to NBC News. After weeks of searching, Stanton’s mother said he was found dead.

“Our family and a few volunteers found Miles today. His spirit is no longer with us. We are broken,” she said in a Nov. 14 Facebook post.

McClatchy News reached out to Marion County Sheriff’s Department for comment and are waiting for a response.

In October, Stanton’s roommate and childhood friend told NBC News he didn’t find him not coming home that night odd. He thought he may have met a girl.

By Oct. 24, however, he “knew something was wrong” and decided to tell Stanton’s mom, according to NBC News.

“His roommate told us that he just didn’t come home on Thursday and that no one’s been able to get a hold of him – phone calls aren’t going through, text messages, nothing,” Stanton’s brother told KOIN on Oct. 28.

Stanton’s mother who got on the first flight to Portland after hearing her son had been missing called FedEx, where he had been working for two weeks, according to NBC News. His last day of work was Oct. 20, and no one she called had heard from him since Oct. 19. She also called his family and friends.

“I close my eyes and picture him safe and sleeping peacefully in his stupid car, with his floppy hair all over his face, this is what I do to avoid any negative thoughts, I picture this over and over and over,” Stanton’s mother said in a Facebook post marking her son missing for 10 days.

On Oct. 30, Stanton’s mother posted to Facebook saying they had “over 60+ people join” in searching for her son. “I don’t have words to describe how I feel,” she said in the post.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office told KOIN officials believe the body found was Stanton, but the case is under investigation.

“I know many will have questions and so do we, but at this time it’s an active police investigation and I don’t have any answers to give, I wish I did.” Stanton’s mother said in a post on Facebook.

Marion County is about 80 miles southeast of Portland.

This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 2:35 PM.