An Oregon teenager attends a county fair and never returns home.

A caucasian teenager with short dark hair, Jeremy Bright.

Jeremy Bright

Missing:

Gender: Male
DOB: 5/25/72
Height: 6’
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown
Defining Characteristics: Has scars on his forehead and nose, and a mole on his chin
Remarks: Last seen 8/14/86

CASE DETAILS

Two hands gripping a small pistol.

Some say Jeremy was shot by a local teen

Each August, the Coos County Fair rolls into Myrtle Point, Oregon. For many, it’s a weeklong celebration. To 14-year-old Jeremy Bright and his close friend, Johnny, it was one of the high points of the year. Normally, Jeremy lived a hundred miles away in Grants Pass, where his mother worked. But during the week of the fair, he and his younger sister stayed with their stepfather in Myrtle Point. On Thursday, Jeremy and Johnny enjoyed the festivities at the fair. Around 4:45 that same afternoon, Jeremy made a long distance call to his mother, Diane. He told her he was having a great time at the fair. She told Jeremy she’d be back in Myrtle Point in two days to pick him up. Five hours later at 9:40 PM, Jeremy showed up at a local tavern owned by his grandmother. There he met his stepfather and asked to borrow some money. It was the last time Jeremy was ever seen by his family. Two days later, Diane arrived in Myrtle Point as planned. She went to pick up Jeremy at his stepfather’s house, but her son never showed up:

“I went in and on the TV set was his house keys from our Grants Pass apartment and his wallet and his new watch that he told me he’d bought. I knew when I found those things that he was around somewhere because he wouldn’t leave without them.”

Two men are digging in the forest, a third man is holding a body on his shoulder.

He was allegedly buried in the forest

On Saturday night, Diane was worried enough to contact the police. At first, Sergeant Steve Dalton of the Coos County Sheriff’s Department believed Jeremy had simply run away:

“He did like the fair. There was the thought that perhaps he was hiding out, intending to leave with the fair people and I’ve explored that possibility in every way that I can think of. However in this particular case, I’ve talked to family members and friends of him that knew him well. And he was just not, from what I can learn, the type of kid who would have struck out on his own.”

Two people walking down the stairs towards the entrance of a building as a man in orange shirt enters.

She said his shirt was covered in blood

On Sunday, August 17, 1986, the fair closed down. Myrtle Point was buzzing about Jeremy’s disappearance, and gradually, conflicting stories began to emerge. According to one rumor, Jeremy attended one of Myrtle Point’s many parties, and drank a beer laced with a powerful drug. Another story claimed that three older teenagers showed up at a local swimming hole and harassed Jeremy and his friends. According to Sergeant Dalton, this information came from a jailhouse informant:

“They subsequently took him to a cabin, maybe within ten miles of the Myrtle Point area, and attempted to nurse him back to health… he died as a result of that injury, either from loss of blood or from infection or what have you. That same source… indicated that his body would found within 200 feet of this cabin in a shallow grave.”

Jeremy called his mother from the county fair

Police searched the area surrounding the cabin but found nothing. For Diane Bright, the rumors about her missing son were difficult to handle:

“All of them are hard to think about. Every time I’d hear a new one, I have nightmares for a week or so. The one that I hope is not what happened is one where he suffered for two weeks before he died and they buried his body, because the thought of him suffering for two weeks just makes me sick.”

Jeremy Bright has scars on his forehead and nose and a mole on his chin. The prime suspect in his disappearance recently died in prison, and there are no new leads. However the case is still open.


Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season one with Robert Stack and in season eight with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu.

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43 Comments

  1. Shelly

    There is definitely the question of why didn’t his stepfather report him missing before Diane got home? I mean, at least why didn’t he call Diane where ever she was at and tell her he was missing and such? I wonder why they didn’t follow the carnival to it’s next destination to see if they saw him there, or get a search warrant for the carnival to see if he was hiding in one of the trailers etc. I wonder why they couldn’t get anything out of his friend Johnny that was with him, or had he already gone home? Also, as a clairvoyant, when I look at his school picture, I see bleachers in my minds eye. I hope they find him. He’d be fifty years old this year.

    Reply

    • Bianca

      Definitely agree with all the questions you are asking…. I believe these are the vital questions that need answering to help this case.

      Reply

  2. H

    I was listening to a podcast on this case and it referred people to this page. I’ve seen several references over time that the myrtle point police did nothing. They obviously didn’t do much, however the claims they did nothing is untrue. I was in horse 4h and lived at the fair that week. The day after his disappearance I had a mp cop pull me aside on the midway with a flyer. He specifically targeted me because I was jeremy’s age. It was the first time a cop pulled me aside (and honestly it was the only time until about age 30), and I remember it vividly. Sadly I had no info on him… but, there were fliers everywhere afterwards, and cops were asking around. This case has always haunted me. I hope his mom and sister find peace one day.

    Reply

  3. thinkingoutloud

    so jeremy goes missing within 2 days of last being seen by his stepfather at the tavern. if jeremy was staying there until his mother came to get him, why can’t the stepfather account for where he was during those 2 days? that would mean his stepfather didn’t bother to reach out or call authorities until the day the mother showed up. the step father is fishy for not looking into his disappearance after his last sighting.

    Reply

  4. chdhook

    why has no one including police mentioned the fact that jermeys mother found his wallet app keys and new watch on the tv set at his stepfathers house. this is a huge clue it means at some point after borrowing money from stepdad he returned home. the stepdad knows more about what happened to Jeremy i’m almost certain of that

    Reply

  5. Shawn

    I would recommend a Psychic by the name of Peggy Rometo to Jeremy’s Mom. She is very reputable and great at what she does. She has worked murder cases as far as I know. Tell her Shawn McCabe sent you to her. Georgia’s son. I’m one of her Facebook friends. May GOD help you find your son. I know you will. Here is her website: http://www.peggyrometo.com/

    Reply

  6. damnation abyss

    I don’t like the fact that the poor boy was murdered

    Reply

  7. Anonymous

    Oregon has a high rate of abductions into sex trafficking. Just saying.

    Reply

  8. free

    I get it…fresh reports are nonsense

    Reply

  9. Black Bieber

    Such a shame that most of the people who knew Jeremy Bright (including his relatives & at least one of the suspects who could’ve been his bullies) have passed away now. More than likely, Jeremy is deceased now. However, as the Informant’s story about Jeremy’s remains being located near a cabin turned out to be unreliable (if not completely false), there is a possibility that Jeremy’s still alive. He would be 44-years old now and would probably look more closer to the age-progressed photo shown on the program than he did more than 30 years ago as a teenager. So sad and so scary, as I happen to share a birthday with him.

    Reply

    • freeh report

      Jeremy is dead and everybody in that town knows who, what, where, and why…but they are all afraid of someone…

      He was just a boy!!! Fight for him!!!

      Reply

  10. Leana

    What about this so called friend “Johnny” who was with him at the fair? What happened to him the rest of the night?

    Reply

    • Johnny

      I heard his friend johny was acting distraught or something when he was asked where Jeremy was. I believe in my heart that he knew what happened to Jeremy and whatever it is it’s not good.

      Reply

  11. Anonymous

    If you check court records Edwina Rosenberry, lived in Remote OR at the time. That is only 19 minutes by car from Myrtle Point and her criminal history is a mile long with drugs, burglary and false information to LE charges. Nothing says she was involved but no angel either.

    Reply

  12. leanna

    I read a comment on a mother post saying Jeremy is buried in a rock pot up Lee Valley Rd. The person who said this was a man named Guy Brown , he is on Facebook but it doesn’t look like he’s on it much I wonder if this lead has been followed up on. August 14th marks 30 years , sure wish he could be found.

    Reply

  13. LUIS FREEH

    WH^ DO “I” REMEMBER A WATCH AND WALLET AND SOME GUY SAYING “U” WON’T NEED THOSE HALF IN AND OUT OF A LITTLE APARTMENT DOIRWAY? WHAT DOES THE WALLET’S ID SAY IN IT? THE WATCH WAS BOUGHT AT THE FSIR? MAYBE YOUR AUNT WAS SITTING ON A BENCH FROM MORNING TILL NIGHT GUARDING THAT WATCH FROM PURCHASE AND “CRIED” ONE NIGHT AND TOLD GRANDA PA BIG FATYISH SPECKLED LOOKING BALD HEAD ABOUT SOMEONE BUYING THAT WATCH IN A FAIR GROUNDS GLASS CASE GLASS DISPLAY CASE AT NIGHT WITH A BENCH IN FRONT OF IT A SHORTISH DISTANCE AWAY! WELL! TOO BAD! DEFIMATION CAUSE IT’S CALLED A “GAG ORDER” ON SOMEONE FOR SPREADING RUMORS ABOUT PEOPLE! AND “I” THINK YOUR OWN “AUNT” IS POSTING THAT ABOUT HER SELF LOOKING FOR WHO BOUGHT THAT WATCH FROM THE “GLASS DISPLAY CASE”!

    Reply

  14. Jen

    I was reading up on this on the unsolved wiki..and wow. Nearly every one who knew Jeremy has died. Several suspects have died in prison. Quite a few family members have passed away. I hope there is a body found and some closure for those still mourning him. It is horrible all around.

    Reply

  15. Mar

    God bless the hurting.

    Reply

  16. Grace

    I hate to break it to you guys but he was last seen in 1986. It’s 2016, I don’t think he’s with us

    Reply

    • messiah

      You are right… but for some of us we’ve seen and watched this story since the first air date and we have invested in Jeremy’s story…members of Jeremy’s family have since passed and Jeremy’s friends have moved on and the killers could be alive or dead and we don’t know and yet we still hope for an end…but still after 30 years we still know that somebody still knows something

      Reply

  17. Johnny

    This Jeremy Bright case was a haunting one. I wonder what happened to his friend Johnny. Did he see something that night? The recreation was expertly done with the young man firing indiscriminately into the water and supposedly hitting Jeremy. Then showing the cabin and the men burying him. It’s almost been 30 years since Jeremy’s disappearance. The most likely theory Jeremy was abducted walking back to the apartment or was struck by someone drinking at the fair and they panicked and buried his body later.

    Reply

  18. someone knows

    I can only surmise that the person who keeps directing their comments at your aunt believes that she may know something and there must be a reason this person believes that. Know one accused her of ” doing anything” but maybe she saw something or knows something and is afraid, mabye she was threatened. This boys mother deserves closure and unless you were with her that day or someone else can verify her whereabouts that day one never knows but her.may Jeremy RIP wherever he is and may god send anyone with information that has not come forward to hell!

    Reply

  19. paulynn

    Gee people leave the ladies aunt alone already.I’m sure if the cops thought the girl was in on it they talk to her,then proved she was not who they were looking for.

    Reply

  20. Reader

    I think someone is messing about with the name Edna Rosenberry- I was checking a little into that name and the user names of the posters who keep spreading that across many sites now that I have seen- Oddly the names and quotes at the end of each tie into one another in a sinister way-Edna Rosenberry the name was listed as a forgotten serial killer of children-one of the user names who posted was Dredd which was a movie about a law enforcement officer who acted as judge, jury and executioner-quotes taken from Elbert Hubbard that were included with some of the posts, he was at one time a successful traveling salesman and considered himself and anarchist. In one of his quotes he references Jesus was an anarchist-oddly that is the name of the poster referring to Edna on this thread. Coincidently there was another guy who disappeared 14 days after Jeremy in an adjacent town. He was nearly the same height, weight, build, hair color etc. just older. He came up missing from the Blue Moon bar. He has never been found and his case is still open. His name was Kerby Allen Bessey. Is it possible to maybe have had a serial killer traveling through the area around fair time or?

    Reply

    • Cee Cee

      Thank you for researching instead of assuming. What that person meant to post was Edwina Rosenberry. She is my aunt and she never lived in Myrtle Point someone is trying to start drama and negativity. My aunt paid her debts to society and she is just trying to live her life. I have researched and that person has posted that on every article about Jeremy Bright on every site they could make comments on. I am really hoping that the person will have the decency to let my aunt live her life in peace without the drama and negativity. I am really upset about the comments the person is posting and I will be fighting to get them removed before further action involving a court case and charges being brought upon them for slander , defamation of character, and harassment are pursued by myself and my family. I will be taking screen shots and I will save them all just in case that person decides to continue thier disrespectful behavior.

      Reply

    • Maby

      There were actually 3 gone missing, possibly 4, not sure if the date gone missing on one. Duane Fochtman went missing from Lincoln city 7/22/1986 then Jeremy Bright 8/14/1986 then Kerby Allen Bessing 8/28/1986. Joy shields also went missing but not a lot of info when I googled. It’s sad, I wish these poor lost soulless could be found.

      Reply

  21. Jeremy's Mom

    Jeremy’s case is still open. On August 14, 2015 it will be 29 years since I last spoke with my son. It is way to long for a person to be in limbo. Him, Me, and the rest of his family all included. He now has many nieces and nephews that he would be very, very proud to know. We just need to find him.

    Reply

    • Peter

      You should use the services of a psychic to help you out. A picture and a garment of Jeremy will help. Their are good ones out there who can help. I wish you the best.

      Reply

  22. unsolved

    Hi T – we haven’t received any updated information in this case. It is being handled by the Coos County Sheriff’s Department.

    Reply

  23. t

    Hey unsolved! Has anyone looked into this “edna”? Ive seen this name posted in relation to this case several times. Very curious.

    Reply

    • Cee Cee

      Edna Rosenberry is also called Edwina Rosenberry on another post. She is my aunt and she knows nothing about his disappearance. She was living at home with my grandparents at the time and they don’t live in Myrtle point. My aunt paid her debts to society and she deserves peace and quiet. Not lies and vindictivness. I will not hesitate to contact the police for these posts that that guy posted. It is considered slander defamation of character and harassment. Sorry for the rant but my aunt doesn’t deserve it she is a good person and she deserves what everyone else has. Like privacy, not to have her name slandered and dragged through the mud, and to enjoy her life with all of her family. I am really sorry about the disappearance of Jeremy Bright and I pray that the family gets closure. I just can’t stand by and let this random person to trash my family’s name and spread rumors without plausible evidence.

      Reply

  24. jesus

    Theres a lady in Port orford
    She isnt hard to find. She knows. Edna rosenberry.

    Reply

    • Cee Cee

      Edna Rosenberry. Do you mean Edwina Rosenberry my aunt. I would really appreciate it if you would refrain from spreading rumors and lies. Edwina never lived in Myrtle point. I know this for a fact. Please leave my family alone and quit with your stupid lies. My aunt was living at home at the time of his disappearance she was 20 years old and most likely was not hanging out with a 14 year old kid. If you continue to lie without plausible evidence I will turn you in for harassment and defamation of character.

      Reply

      • Me

        What do you mean “paid her debts to society”? What did she do that was wrong such that she had to “pay debts…l
        Just weird to hear you say it like she’s actually guilty of something else. I have no position at all just that was weird.

        Reply

      • James

        Sounds like someone is covering up someone’s tracks a little too heavy if u ask me

        Reply

  25. Jenay Mystery

    I lived in Grants Pass every summer growing up with my grandparents. I love it.. It’s the most beautiful place. I am several years younger than Jeremy but I feel like we could have known each other. My heart goes out to his mother and family. I pray it’s solved!

    Reply

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