Editor’s Note: August 5, 2025 marks the five-year anniversary of the day Michael Bryson disappeared. This update includes new information gathered during a phone interview I conducted today with Michael’s parents, Tina and Parrish Bryson.
It has been five years since 27-year-old Michael Bryson vanished without a trace from a remote campground in Oregon, and his family is still no closer to knowing what happened.
On August 5, 2020, Michael was at a weeklong birthday party at Hobo Campground in the Umpqua National Forest near Dorena, with people he’d only known for about six months — acquaintances he’d met through the local rave scene. Just days earlier, he had stopped by his parents’ house, full of life and excitement for the trip ahead. What they didn’t know at the time was that it would be the last time they’d see him.
That day, August 3, Michael came over to help with yard work in exchange for gas money. His mom, Tina, was home, and so was his sister Krista. It was one of those rare and cherished moments when all four family members were together. They made breakfast burritos, Michael’s favorite, and laughed and talked like any normal morning. Parrish described it as a “perfect morning.” Before he left, Michael gave each of them a hug and told them he loved them. He mentioned to his dad that he’d be camping in an area without cell service and not to worry if they couldn’t reach him.
Tina remembers something unusual. She stood in the living room and watched him walk all the way to the car and drive off. “That was the first time I ever did that,” she said. “And I didn’t know it would be the last.”
Michael didn’t know many of the people at the campground very well. He had met some through the local rave scene, but these weren’t longtime friends. “He wouldn’t have even gone if it wasn’t for that DJ playing,” Parrish said.
Sometime around 4:30 in the morning on August 5, witnesses say Michael wandered away from the campsite and was never seen again.
His phone was off. His belongings were left behind. Despite extensive search efforts, no clear trace of Michael has been found. In December 2020, several articles of his clothing were reportedly located, but the family has long questioned whether they were genuinely left there the night he disappeared or planted afterward.
The initial response from people at the party raised immediate concerns. Tina and Parrish Bryson arrived at the campground almost 12 hours after Michael was last seen, only to learn no one had made any real effort to find him.
“What do you mean he’s been missing for 13 hours and you’re just sitting here?” Tina Bryson told The Register-Guard in a 2025 interview.
Parrish said there were talks afterward of an obscene amount of drugs being laid out on the table at the party. That detail, coupled with the lack of urgency from attendees, painted a troubling picture of the atmosphere Michael was surrounded by. While Michael had self-medicated in the past, his parents say he wouldn’t have willingly placed himself in such a reckless environment.
Detectives with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office have cycled through the case, and the current investigator is the third detective assigned. According to Parrish, the newest detective is deeply committed and emotionally invested in the case. He reportedly trained with Tina’s niece during the cadet program and had followed Michael’s story from the beginning. “When he called to introduce himself,” Parrish said, “he told us this isn’t going to be another case that just sits.”
In November 2024, Dylan’s Legacy, a nonprofit created in memory of missing Utah teen Dylan Rounds, organized a large-scale K-9 search in two targeted areas tied to Michael’s disappearance. Search crews from Utah, Colorado, and Washington participated, also assisting with another Oregon case involving missing man Shane Sprenger. Though no new evidence was uncovered, the search renewed hope that Michael’s case hadn’t been forgotten.
Since then, Dylan’s Legacy has returned at least twice to help search for Michael. The foundation works entirely free of charge, offering trained dogs, advanced technology, and emotional support for families. Tina originally reached out to Dylan’s mother, Candace, shortly after Dylan went missing. Now, the families share a close friendship. “We help each other,” Parrish said. “It’s one of the only bright lights in all of this.”
Thanks to Dylan’s Legacy, the family is now using advanced data recovery techniques to analyze Michael’s phone. Unlike traditional tower pinging, this method extracts precise GPS data from apps like Facebook and Snapchat. “Even the Sheriff's Office didn’t know this technology existed,” Parrish said. “Now we have a shot at learning where that phone actually went.”
Michael’s story has also attracted attention from online communities familiar with the Missing 411 series, an investigative project by David Paulides focusing on mysterious disappearances in wilderness areas. While Michael’s case hasn’t been featured officially, the circumstances bear striking similarities. A sudden vanishing in a national forest, lack of physical evidence, and no confirmed sightings. It is one of several cases regularly discussed by those exploring unexplained backcountry disappearances.
Over the years, countless rumors have surfaced online. One Reddit commenter speculated that Michael may have confronted someone at the party over drugs and was assaulted. The post ended with the hope that the rumor wasn’t true. Like many theories, it remains unverified but reflects the desperation for answers and the atmosphere of fear and silence surrounding the case.
Another deeply concerning piece of potential evidence surfaced publicly in 2024 when Michael’s mother, Tina Magnuson Bryson, shared screenshots in the “Let’s Find Michael Bryson” Facebook group. The screenshots, allegedly from a message conversation with Kaleah Bishop, appear to show Kaleah admitting, “we may or may not have spun Michael out and he is lost in the woods.” The messages also refer to him being lost since around 4 a.m. the night of the party and describe the group leaving the campground for town while Michael remained unaccounted for.
In her February 2024 post, Tina stated, “If this isn’t incriminating enough I don’t know what is. Kaleah Bishop admitted to spinning Michael out the night he went missing. This is her words.” She also pointed out that Kaleah’s twin sister, Kasiah Bishop, died of a fentanyl overdose roughly a year and a half after Michael disappeared. She emphasized that the Bishop twins, along with another partygoer known as Ashley PT (Ashley Marie), were reportedly the last known people to see Michael alive.
Parrish confirmed that law enforcement investigated the twins and related graffiti on the Lane County Jail. One twin has since passed away, and the other is believed to have moved out of state. “They didn’t uncover anything we didn’t already know,” Parrish said.
Over the years, the family has received hundreds of tips. Most are vague, some promising, but all unresolved. Two recurring scenarios have emerged. One, that Michael overdosed at the party and was hidden by those involved. The other, that he walked away and was hit by a passing vehicle, possibly someone from the nearby homeless population, who then panicked and disposed of his body. “Either way,” Parrish said, “it was foul play. If he just wandered off, we would have found him. We were up there for 19 days.”
Some of Michael’s belongings were found downstream in January 2021, including his driver’s license, after volunteers and rescue crews had already searched the area. Parrish believes the items were likely planted afterward. The location raised further questions. “We think they were standing on the wooden bridge, going through his wallet, tossing out what they couldn’t use.”
The family also recalls early frustrations with the case, particularly during the first 18 months. Tips were left untouched, follow-up was slow, and they felt unsupported. But their opinion has shifted with the most recent detective. “There’s been a definite change in how missing person cases are being handled now,” Parrish noted.
Michael was more than a missing person. He was a beloved son, brother, and friend. He loved EDM, movies, cooking, and international service work. After returning from a mission trip to Liberia, he struggled with depression and anxiety and began self-medicating. But just before his disappearance, he was exploring new opportunities, including an electrician apprenticeship, and looking to turn things around.
His family honors him through the Michael Bryson Foundation, which supports scholarships for students pursuing mental health and performing arts fields. Their annual 5K Shuffle in Eugene continues to draw community support and raise awareness.
The Facebook group “Let’s Find Michael Bryson” now has over 25,000 members and remains a place of hope, support, and shared determination.
As the five-year anniversary arrives, Tina and Parrish still visit Michael’s favorite spots. They continue to ask questions, push for accountability, and hold onto the hope that someone, somewhere, knows the truth.
Parrish offers this to anyone who might know something. “I don’t care who. I don’t care why. I just want to know where, so I can bring Michael home,” he said. “Even if it’s anonymous. Even if it’s a fake Facebook account. Just mark a tree with ribbon and tell us where to look.”
They refuse to give up. As Parrish once said, “If the evil of this world thought they were snuffing out Michael’s flame, boy, did they get it wrong. They’ve ignited a fire that will never go out.”
As a parent myself, I can’t imagine the weight Tina and Parrish carry every day. Their strength, their love for Michael, and their relentless pursuit of answers is something that stays with you long after the conversation ends. This isn’t just a headline or a cold case — it’s a family’s life forever changed. And as I listened to them speak with such grace, heartache, and hope, I couldn’t help but think of my own child and how I would move heaven and earth if they were the one missing. That’s what the Brysons are doing. Every single day.
Michael Bryson was last seen wearing rainbow Crocs, black athletic shorts, and possibly a brown corduroy baseball cap. He is six foot two, approximately 180 pounds, with hazel eyes and short brown hair. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150, option 1, and reference case number 20-5286.
