Campus Alert Archive
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A Freshman, an ATM, and a Phone Turned Off: The University of Portland's HEOA Notification for Owen Klinger

ORmissing personmissing studentmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 6, 2019, University of Portland freshman Owen Klinger, 18, left Christie Hall around 7:50 PM PDT after telling roommates he was going to a lacrosse meeting that did not exist. He withdrew $150 from a campus ATM, turned off his phone, and walked toward North Lombard Street. The university's Vice President for Student Affairs, Fr. John Donato, sent a campus-wide email the night of October 7, triggering a two-week multi-agency search.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
University of Portland
Private Masters · OR
~4,400 studentsUP Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionComposed from verbatim quotes published in The Beacon and KXL reporting on Fr. John Donato's October 7, 2019 campus-wide email; the framing 'With the community's help, we hope and pray for Owen's safe return' is a direct quote from Donato397 chars
Owen Klinger, an 18-year-old University of Portland freshman and resident of Christie Hall, was last seen leaving Christie Hall at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 6. With the community's help, we hope and pray for Owen's safe return. Anyone with information about Owen is encouraged to contact Public Safety at 503-943-7161 or at publicsafety@up.edu, or Portland Police at 503-823-3333.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Built around Donato's direct quote — 'With the community's help, we hope and pray for Owen's safe return' — and the verbatim contact details (503-943-7161, publicsafety@up.edu, Portland Police 503-823-3333) preserved across The Beacon and KXL reporting
Klinger lived in Christie Hall, an on-campus residence — directly triggering the HEOA 24-hour residence-hall missing-student notification window
Donato sent the campus-wide email Monday night, October 7, 2019 — within the HEOA 24-hour window after roommates first reported Klinger missing
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction471 chars
It is with profound sadness that we share that the University of Portland community has lost Owen Klinger, the first-year student who had been missing since October 6. The medical examiner has confirmed Owen's identity following the recovery of remains from the Willamette River near the St. Johns Bridge. Our hearts are with Owen's family. Counseling and pastoral care resources are available through the Health and Counseling Center at 503-943-7134 and Campus Ministry.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed; this follow-up was issued after the Multnomah County Medical Examiner identified Klinger's remains on October 22, 2019
The 14-day search arc represents one of the longer single-student missing-student responses among Oregon private institutions
The reference to 'Campus Ministry' is distinctive to UP as a Catholic Holy Cross institution and reflects HEOA's flexibility for institutional pastoral resources
Context

Background

Owen Klinger was an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Portland, a Catholic Holy Cross institution in North Portland with about 4,400 students. On Sunday evening, October 6, 2019, he told roommates he was going to a lacrosse team meeting that did not exist, left campus around 7:50 PM PDT, withdrew $150 from a campus ATM, turned off his cell phone, and was last seen walking toward North Lombard Street. Investigators later found that he had been watching YouTube videos about hopping freight trains and the film adaptation of Jon Krakauer's 'Into the Wild.' Vice President for Student Affairs Fr. John Donato sent a campus-wide email Monday night, October 7, under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 missing-student notification framework. UP Public Safety coordinated with the Portland Police Bureau and TriMet, which determined Klinger's last known location was near North Portsmouth Avenue and Lombard Street. After a two-week search involving dozens of volunteers and multiple agencies, Klinger's body was recovered from the Willamette River near the St. Johns Bridge on October 20, 2019. The case demonstrated the HEOA framework operating at a small private institution and underscored the role of family-driven and community-volunteer search efforts when university and police resources were insufficient.
Analysis

Key Findings

Klinger lived in Christie Hall, an on-campus residence, directly triggering the HEOA 24-hour residence-hall notification provision
The University of Portland's notification was issued by the Vice President for Student Affairs rather than Public Safety — a structural choice common at small Catholic institutions where pastoral framing matters
The 14-day gap between disappearance and recovery sustained one of the longest single-student missing-student campaigns in Oregon private-college history
The case underscored HEOA's flexibility — small private institutions can satisfy the framework with email-only delivery rather than full multi-channel emergency-notification systems
Outcome
Klinger's body was recovered from the Willamette River near the St. Johns Bridge on October 20, 2019, and positively identified by the Multnomah County Medical Examiner on October 22, 2019. The family later confirmed the medical examiner's report listed drowning as the cause of death; Portland Police stated they found no evidence of foul play.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Missing student's mother seeks help in finding son (The Beacon, UP student newspaper)
    upbeacon.com
  2. Source
    Owen Klinger Missing University of Portland Student (family memorial site)
    moreowen.org
  3. News
    Police Say Missing University of Portland Student Owen Klinger Had Been Watching 'Into the Wild' (Willamette Week)
    wweek.com
  4. News
    Body found in river near St. Johns Bridge is Owen Klinger, medical examiner confirms (KGW)
    kgw.com
  5. News
    Search parties scour parks for missing UP student Owen Klinger (KOIN)
    koin.com
Tags
missing-studentmissing-personheoaoregonprivate-catholicfreshmanresidence-hallwillamette-river
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion