PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Authorities believe they have found the body of Allyson Watterson, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday night.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that human remains were discovered in the North Plains area when a property owner on Corey Road was clearing brush Saturday afternoon. That person called the police and detectives responded to the area just before 5 p.m.
Authorities said the remains are believed to be those of Allyson Watterson based on her belongings that were found in that area earlier this year and other evidence. The county medical examiner still needs to confirm the identity of the body.
The Watterson family has been notified, according to authorities. They are asking for privacy at this time.
Then-20-year-old Allyson was last seen in the woods near North Plains on Dec. 22, 2019, with her boyfriend, Benjamin Garland.
After she was first reported missing, the sheriff’s office led a 5-day search with the help of trained search and rescue personnel and numerous community volunteers before they were forced to suspend their efforts due to a lack of new evidence.
Allyson Watterson: Timeline of events
Allyson’s mother, Misty, vowed to never stop searching for her daughter. In the weeks after the official search was suspended, the Watterson family organized their own searches with volunteers and permission from property owners in the North Plains area.
A new development in Allyson’s case came in late February of this year when some of her belongings were recovered along Pumpkin Ridge Road. The sheriff’s office confirmed this development at the time, but did not specify what was found or the exact location. Authorities searched the surrounding area, but said they did not find anything else.
This is a developing story.