Three Sisters Wilderness

The puzzling disappearance and death of Jake Dutton from the Three Sisters Wilderness

jake dutton french pete trail death

James Jacob “Jake” Dutton (Jake Dutton), disappeared June 15, 2012, Body found August 24, 2016, French Pete Trail, south of Cougar Lake, Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon.

Revised and expanded April 2021

James Jacob “Jake” Dutton left for a hike on the French Pete Trail in the Three Sisters Wilderness in Oregon on June 15th, 2012. He never returned.

He was eventually reported missing, but a search didn't begin for nearly 6 weeks as he failed to leave any sort of itinerary with friends or relatives. The fact that he wasn't working and was single also delayed the missing persons report.

Jake’s remains were finally found on August 24, 2016, by a hiker about 100 feet off the French Pete Trail. What happened to Jake in June 2012?

Who was Jake Dutton?

jake dutton french pete trail death

Jake, aged 32, lived in Eugene, Oregon, and was a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. He had completed studying alternative medical services for pain relief through physical therapy.

He was also an experienced hiker and camper.

The hike on the French Pete trail

The French Pete Trail and drainage are surrounded by massive Douglas-Firs and Western Red-cedars. There are numerous rocks, steep slopes and the terrain is generally rugged and dangerous.

The French Pete Creek close to the trail is only at 4823 ft and the trail itself climbs around 1000 feet during its length. The average temperature in the Three Sisters Wilderness is a high of 21 degrees centigrade (70 degrees F) and a low of 5 degrees centigrade (41 degrees F) in June.

He was last seen at this apartment on June 3rd, 2012, and on Friday, June 15, Jake completed a U.S. Forest Service permit slip to use the trail, which indicated when he started and when he planned to end his hike.  He indicated would return by June 18th.

He had planned to take his 13-year-old nephew, CJ, camping later in June, after a family reunion in Seaside and it is believed that he went to the trail to scout campsites.

The disappearance and search

Jake’s mother, Cynthia Boucher, began to worry about Jake in mid-June, when she called to remind him about his older brother Christopher’s upcoming birthday, and she could not reach him on his cell phone.

On June 28, Jake had agreed to pick up his nephew at the Portland International Airport but failed to do so. Jake's brother subsequently went to the apartment and found no sign of him and informed the authorities and on July 9th a missing persons report was filed with the Eugene Police Department.

Three weeks later, the report, which contained the description and license plate number of the pick up, caused the U.S. Forest Service to find the vehicle. His 1998, Blue, Nissan Frontier pickup truck was found on July 30, 2012, near McKenzie Pass on forest road 19 near the trailhead for French Pete, off Aufderheide Memorial Drive. Jake's backpack, inflatable boat and hiking boots were not in the truck and found in his apartment. 

French Pete Trail, Three sisters wilderness, Oregon
French Pete Creek Trail, three sisters wilderness, oregon
Jake Dutton Disappearance June 2012

Jake had his cell phone with him, but there was no coverage in the French Pete area of the forest.

The family was frustrated that Forest Service officials didn’t use the permit to figure out that he had not returned from his hike and that his pickup was still at the trailhead. 

Two searches, involving law enforcement personnel, volunteers and search and rescue dogs, took place on July 31 and August 5. No signs of Jake were found on these searches.

Like Jake Dutton, Daming Xu, disappeared in the same area on November 4th, 2007, after summiting the nearby Mount Ollalie. His guidebook was found near the French Pete Creek, but his body or belongings were never recovered. Read more : Daming Xu - Strange disappearances from U.S. wilderness areas

Daming Xu disappearance

Remains found

Jake’s skeleton was found on August 24, 2016, by a hiker about 100 feet off the French Pete Trail in the Three Sisters Wilderness. The remains were about 4 miles from the trailhead. The discovery was made over four years after he disappeared.

Jake’s remains were found near his backpack and two cans of bear spray in the steep, heavily forested area. His pants were still on, but his torso was bare. With no evidence of trauma or gunshot wounds, authorities suspected that he died of hypothermia. 

It is never recommended to go hiking in the wilderness alone, and certainly not in the French Pete Trail area of Oregon without leaving a detailed itinerary behind with friends or family.

Sources

http://oregonmissing.blogspot.com/2012/07/james-dutton-june-2012-eugene.html

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/06/lost_in_oregon_hiker_who_vanis.html

https://www.registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34761943-75/mother-finds-closure-four-years-after-her-hiker-son-went-missing.html.csp