Mystery of Jennifer Huston, the missing Dundee mother, fascinates a nationwide audience. BREAKING!! Huston's Body Found!!Update: Ruled a Suicide!!!

Jennifer Huston of Dundee went missing on Thursday. This is one of the photos posted on the "Find Jennifer Huston" Facebook page.


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Print Tom Hallman Jr. | [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] By Tom Hallman Jr. | [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
on July 30, 2014 at 12:25 PM, updated July 30, 2014 at 7:33 PM

There are crimes. And then there are mysteries.

What's taking place in Dundee -- a small community about 25 miles southwest of Portland -- is a mystery that' s captivated Oregonians and people around the country, all wondering what happened to Jennifer Huston, a 38-year-old mother of two who left her home to run errands last Thursday evening and never returned.

Police issued a statement earlier this week saying: "There is no known criminal nexus to this case nor is there any known threat to the public."

And, in many ways, that has only added to the intrigue.

Family members, friends and strangers continue to look for Huston. The family has created a Find Jennifer Huston Facebook page, which has nearly 37,000 "likes."
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Speculation intensified Tuesday night after authorities released the latest discoveries about Huston:

New video footage shows that Huston stopped at a local pharmacy and bought Gatorade, trail mix and what police called a "non-lethal dose" of sleep aid pills.

Huston used the less than $100 she had just withdrawn from a bank to pay for the items, police said.

Police also said Huston's husband, Kallen Huston, took and passed a polygraph test. The couple of have two boys, ages 2 and 6.

Capt. Jeff Kosmicki, public information officer for the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, said Huston purchased sleeping pills prior to going to a Circle K gas station where she was last seen.
The bottom line: No one knows what happened.

That brings out the armchair detectives weighing in on theories picked up from shows like "Law & Order" and "CSI."

One commenter on the Facebook page posted this:

This situation is terrible - however, something just seems a bit off about it all...she was last seen filling up her car with gas and then withdrawing cash from the bank? Hmmm. These 2 things happen right before she disappears. Super fishy. Which I'm sure it will all come out soon enough. Regardless, I'm praying for her 2 children to have peace and comfort through this.

And another:

Praying in Idaho! I'm not sure why this is consuming my mind so much. I can't stop thinking about this woman & her family. My heart is very heavy. Praying that she will be found safe and soon! I wish there was something more I could do, but I feel our prayers have to make a difference in some way..

And more:

My husband left in 2007 turned his phone off after gassing up and was found a week later deceased at a rest stop near Roseburg with a self inflicted gun shot to his head. Police searched too. I was left with our 3 children. He was 35. A Realtor here where we live. You just never know. I got a accused while he was gone and had the sheriff at my driveway every day. This is a terrible thing to have a loved one Go missing. I wish you the best in finding her.

The media is also fascinated. It's a hot story on Internet sites, newspapers and TV. The case was featured Tuesday on the Jane-Velez Mitchell show on the HLN channel.

Viewer reaction was so strong that the show's executives are making the case the lead story Wednesday night.

The story also was featured Wednesday morning on "Happening Now," a Fox News show based in New York City.

"One reason is that you have a mother, a young mother," said Donovan Grannum, a "Happening Now" producer. "The fact she is missing under such mysterious circumstances is interesting.

"People imagine themselves in a similar situation," he said. "They could be that mother or, for that matter, the father."

The case also has focused attention on Newberg and Dundee, back-to-back towns known for wine and antique stores on congested Oregon 99W. The cities of nearly 24,000 people maintain a rural feel, but are surrounded by encroaching development.

The Newberg-Dundee Police Department boasted on its website that it was "extremely pleased to announce that the combined cities of Newberg and Dundee have been ranked the 4th safest place in Oregon by an on-line real estate brokerage based in California."

The two towns, according to 2012 FBI statistics, are remarkably safe: three murders, four rapes and two robberies that year.

"This is a sweet area," said Sharon Vincze, 71. "I live here. I want to go help look for her. This is an area that shares one crowded two-lane road and the traffic frustrates everyone. That's about the biggest problem here.

"I've raised two kids," she said. "I watched the husband on TV and he seems legitimately moved. I just can't imagine how a woman could disappear like this."

Vinze said people in Newberg and Dundee continue to discuss the case -- and the theories.

"We all know people are missing across the United States," she said. "But this is a small community and she is one of us. She lived about 20 minutes from my house. It is just too close for comfort.

"You just don't expect a mother with two sweet kids to leave," she said. "We just don't know.

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By Cristina Corbin Published July 31, 2014FoxNews.com

Authorities said Thursday they've hit a roadblock in obtaining valuable information in the disappearance of a 38-year-old Oregon mother because they cannot prove a crime has been committed.

Jennifer Huston, of Dundee, Ore., was last seen on surveillance camera leaving a gas station in Newberg, a Portland suburb, one week ago. She and her vehicle have not been seen since -- despite expansive searches by air and land for the stay-at-home mom.

Capt. Jeff Kosmicki of the Newberg-Dundee Police Department told FoxNews.com Thursday that investigators are unable to obtain medical records and cellphone tower information because there is no evidence of a crime.

"It's impossible," Kosmicki said.

He also noted that detectives viewed security footage of Huston withdrawing money from an ATM, but said detectives cannot physically obtain the video because of lack of proof a crime has been committed. The video is valuable, Kosmicki said, because it provides the clearest images of Huston on the day she disappeared and could help solve the case if released to the public.

"We aren't able to have that video in our hands from the bank," he said.   

Huston's cellphone shut off at approximately 6:35 p.m., but investigators don't know if it was turned off or if the battery died. Kosmicki said the last cellphone tower it pinged from was north of the gas station but "more technical" data is needed, like "latitude and longitude" information that might show which direction she was headed in.

More aerial searches are being conducted Thursday and Friday in Yamhill County for any signs of Huston and her 1999 dark green Lexus LX 470 SUV.

On Wednesday, sheriff's deputies directed an aerial search along the Willamette River -- from Wilsonville to Dayton -- while her family organized a fly over from Wilsonville Road and the Willamette River, Kosmicki said. The aerial searches have so far yielded no clues. Kosmicki said Huston's vehicle would be able to travel 300 to 350 miles on a full tank of gas.

Huston, a mother of two, was captured on surveillance tape leaving a Circle K gas station in nearby Newberg on July 24 at approximately 6:22 p.m. Since then, detectives have been poring over security footage along a Portland-area highway Huston would have traveled after leaving the gas station.

Bill Turner, Jennifer Huston's father and a former homicide investigator, said Wednesday that his daughter "probably went for a walk" after leaving her home to run errands, a day after detectives discovered she had purchased trail mix, Gatorade and non-lethal sleeping pills at a pharmacy shortly before her disappearance.

Turner declined to say whether he thought foul play was suspected and said his daughter may have taken a walk somewhere before she vanished nearly a week ago.

"She probably went for a walk," Turner told Fox News on Wednesday. "And she's unable to come home at this point in time."

"I don't want to even go there," he said, when asked about the possibility of foul play.

Huston left her home around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday to run errands, according to her husband. Detectives say she withdrew a small sum of money from an ATM before purchasing items at a pharmacy and then filling up her SUV with gas.

Huston's husband, Kallen, who passed a polygraph test, said his wife had complained of a headache for "several days" prior to her disappearance.

Detectives released new images Tuesday night of Huston entering a Rite Aid drug store about 3 miles from her home. She used the cash she had just withdrawn from the Oregon First Community Credit Union in Newberg to purchase items, which included over-the-counter sleeping pills. Police said the amount of sleeping pills she purchased would not be enough for a lethal dose.

Kallen Huston said earlier this week that his wife might have driven off the road and urged motorists to look for any signs of his wife and her vehicle.

"I have a feeling maybe she's in a ditch somewhere," he said. "We've exercised every option that we can think of right now."   

The gas station security footage shows Huston purchasing gas between 6:10 and 6:22 p.m. on Thursday. Turner said he reviewed the footage with police and that it did not show anyone inside the vehicle with his daughter.

"There was nobody in the passenger's seat," Turner said. "We went through all the different camera angles and there was also no movement in the backseat."

Kosmicki confirmed that no one is seen inside the vehicle with Jennifer, but noted the footage "is not the best quality."

"She just handed her debit card over and the attendant pumped the gas for her," Kosmicki said of Huston, who has two sons, ages 3 and 6.

Kosmicki said the surveillance video taken from the bank showed Jennifer withdrawing cash from an ATM just before 6 p.m.

"It's a much better video. You can clearly see her facial details," he said. "Based on her actions, she seemed pretty calm." He said the video showed her opening the door slightly to finish her transaction.

No activity has been recorded on Huston's bank cards, according to police. Kosmicki noted that Huston's vehicle did not have a tracking device.

A Facebook page set up in the search for Huston says she was last seen wearing black and pink Nike shoes and black yoga pants. Her vehicle, a 1999 Lexus LX 470, has an Oregon license plate of WXH 011.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Newberg-Dundee Police Department at 503-538-8321.

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by KGW Staff
Bio | Email | Follow: @KGWNews
Posted on July 31, 2014 at 11:55 AM
Updated today at 2:38 PM

NEWBERG, Ore. -- Local police are going through a missing-persons checklist given to them by the FBI in the ongoing search for missing Dundee mom Jennifer Huston, authorities told KGW Thursday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not directly involved in the Huston case, but advises smaller departments in what to look for. The mysterious disappearance of the 38-year-old wife and mother of two is not being investigated as a criminal case; it remains a missing persons case.

Huston disappeared after leaving home to run errands around 5:45 p.m. on July 24, according to a police timeline. Her husband Kallen Huston reported her missing the following day. Police said Kallen told them Jennifer left the house feeling stressed out, and he tried to call her fairly soon after, but she did not answer.
Huston's family told KGW Thursday morning they have been calling her cell phone every hour since then, and the calls go to voicemail every time.

Investigators have not been able to obtain a subpoena to ping Huston's phone for a location, since this is not a criminal investigation.  KGW is talking to a technical expert, to determine if phones can even be pinged when they are off.  Without Huston's approval, or evidence of a crime, police can't get a court subpoena for her cell phone records, either. This is BS!!!!!!

Meanwhile, the search has stretched from the Newberg-Dundee area all the way to the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington.

Day 7 of the search began Thursday with volunteers combing the west and central sections of Yamhill County.
Four search-and-rescue crews were checking Highway 47, from Carlton to Gaston, for skid marks, tamped-down bushes and other evidence of a possible crash.

Huston was last seen driving a dark green, 1999 Lexus SUV with Oregon License number WXH 011.

In addition to ground crews, at least one plane was flying over rural roads to look for her Thursday.

Police also announced that because Huston liked to frequent the San Juan Islands, a search effort was organized in that area. Four deputies were checking their patrol routes on the islands for any sign of her or her vehicle. However, Yamhill deputies said they have not received any specific tips that she had gone there.

An all-day Yamhill County search Wednesday did not turn up clues in the case either, according to Capt Tim Svenson with the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office. It was the first official police-involved search for Huston.

"After today [Thursday], we will probably have covered every part of our county, either by air or by vehicle. So, unless they have any more information by the end of today, we will have covered our portions of our county and probably not have any searchers out tomorrow," Svenson added.
------------
Clarification: Police earlier told KGW that they were able to determine Huston's cell phone had been turned off and the battery did not die. They have since backed off that statement.

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For the Love of GOD!! Ping her cell phone!!!!

Very sad! The search is over unless there is new information. Dundee is about 13 miles from where I live.

I figured it was close, Nama..what is your take??? Do you think she took off w/someone else or took OTC sleeping pills and did herself in???

By Chris Holmstrom and KOIN 6 News Staff
Published: August 1, 2014, 11:25 am
Updated: August 1, 2014, 6:19 pm

DUNDEE, Ore. (KOIN 6) — Finding Jennifer Huston’s Lexus is the key to finding her, said her husband at a Friday afternoon press briefing.

Kallen Huston addressed members of the media hours after Yamhill County officials ended their search for the 38-year-old mother of two who vanished after getting gas at a Circle K in Newberg on July 24.

“It’s been eight days,” Kallen Huston said at the beginning of his brief remarks, “and we still have no clue” where she might be.

“We really need to find her car,” he said, adding there is a “soccer ball-sized U-shaped crack” in the window as an identifying mark on the 1999 Lexus SUV.

“Jennifer,” he said, making remarks directly to her, “if you could see this or hear this, I love you. You have a ton of support from the community. If you can come home, please do. The boys need you. I need you. I love you.

“We’ll never stop looking for you.”

Huston answered a few questions and said police searched all over Yamhill County but have no solid lead.

Going into the weekend, he suggested joggers and off-roaders keep their eyes open for anything unusual and call local police if anything is spotted.

Asked about the purchases she made at a Rite-Aid minutes before she was last seen, Huston said they seemed normal. She bought a Gatorade, he said, because it was a hot day. Trail mix was something they had in the house from time to time, and the sleeping aids was “probably because she’d had a headache for three days.”

Her cell phone was turned off, he said, but he keeps calling it hoping she — or someone — will answer.

“Anyone who knows Jennifer,” he said, knows her disappearance is “completely out of character for her. She loves me, She loves the boys.”

The weeklong search

After more than a week of coordinated air, ground and water searches over 745-square miles, the Yamhill County search for Jennifer Huston has ended.

The 38-year-old mother of two was last seen leaving a Circle K gas station in Newberg after getting a small amount of money and getting a few things at Rite-Aid on July 24.

After another aerial search found no signs of her on Friday morning, Yamhill County officials told KOIN 6 News they’ve ended their county-wide search.

The Marion and Tillamook county sheriff’s offices were also involved in the search, as well as the Oregon State Police.

The Newberg-Dundee Police Department will continue to investigate tips.

The search could begin again if new leads are developed.

The search

An air, ground and water search yielded no results earlier in the week. Police agencies as far away at San Juan Islands in Washington were looking for Huston.

Multiple agencies coordinated their efforts to look for her in Tillamook, Marion and Yamhill counties.

This continues to be treated as a missing person case, officials said.

Her friends

Amanda Johnson and her father, Matt Johnson, said they’ve known the Huston family for years. They are former neighbors and close friends who attended social events together and helped babysit each other’s children.

The Johnsons said they’re even more troubled by Jennifer Huston’s disappearance because the mother of two was in the midst of making plans for her August anniversary and son’s birthday.

“She was planning her anniversary. She asked my sister to babysit a month or two ahead of time,” said Amanda.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.

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Posted: Aug 02, 2014 10:49 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 03, 2014 12:16 AM EDT
By Kaitlyn Bolduc - email

FRIDAY HARBOR, WA (KPTV) -
FOX 12 can exclusively confirm that deputies are actively investigating a possible sighting of Jennifer Huston in the San Juan Islands.

Jennifer Huston swiped her debit card at the Circle K gas station on Portland Road in Newberg on Thursday night. She hasn't been seen or heard from since.

The search for missing Oregon mom Jennifer Huston stretched to Washington's San Juan Islands on Thursday.

A bulletin was forwarded to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, and deputies on all four islands that can be reached by ferry are looking for her.

According to deputies, a couple visiting Friday Harbor is convinced the missing mother boarded a ferry from Anacortes to the island. The couple described the make and model of her car, down to the cracked windshield, and say a woman fitting Huston's description was behind the wheel.

Now, San Juan County Sheriff deputies are rushing to get their hands on surveillance video from aboard that ferry.

"The information that we've received is that there was a female on the boat, on the 9 o'clock ferry sailing from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on Thursday morning July 31," said San Juan County Under sheriff Bruce Distler.

"The woman we talked to also identified a green car, possibly a 99 Lexus, with cracked windshield although she couldn't give us a license plate," said Distler.

Deputies say the couple who spotted the car also described a woman in her 30's with blonde hair who had a 2 by 3 inch white Band-Aid on her left cheek. The tip was so descriptive, they've alerted the Newberg police department.

Deputies say they have also called ferry security based out of Seattle to pull the tape from that morning so they can confirm if the woman is in fact Huston.

"It's not something that's just another tip, it's something that is serious enough that we're gonna take a look at it and make sure everything pans out," said Distler.

Deputies say the tip is prompting them to search for Huston on the island more urgently and are anxiously awaiting a look at that surveillance video.

They say the longer it takes, only means the further away she could be.

"If that was her on the ferry, she could be on Orcas Island right now, she could be on Lopez, she could be on Shaw, she could be anywhere using the ferry systems," said Distler.

FOX 12 asked the Newberg Police department about the tip and they've confirmed they were notified and are interested in following it through.

They add that there are also tips that continue to come in from all over the state of Oregon as well that they are looking into.

Newberg Police say Huston's family has been notified about the possible sighting in Friday Harbor.

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on August 04, 2014 at 5:11 PM, updated August 04, 2014 at 8:11 PM

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office said Monday that it received no information confirming that Jennifer Huston, the 38-year-old missing Dundee mom, is on the San Juan Islands.

On Friday, the Sheriff's Office received a tip from a couple who saw a blonde woman in her 30s and dark SUV with a cracked windshield aboard the 9 a.m. ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

The Sheriff's Office asked the Washington State Ferry to review the video footage from the ferry. The Sheriff's Office said it still remains on alert, looking for Huston until she is located.

Huston was last seen July 25 when she stopped to withdraw less than $100 cash, buy a few items at a drug store, then gas up her dark green 1999 Lexus LX-470 SUV. She told her husband that she was going out to run errands.

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by Teresa Blackman, KGW.com Staff
Posted on August 5, 2014 at 1:46 PM
Updated today at 3:19 PM

DUNDEE, Ore. – Missing Dundee mom Jennifer Huston has been found dead, in a remote area of Yamhill County near Sheridan, police said.

A property owner spotted her SUV Tuesday morning in a grove of trees near Southeast Gopher Valley Road, just off Highway 18. He alerted police around 10:30 p.m., who soon found Huston's body nearby, according to the Newberg-Dundee Police Department.  They said there were no clues which indicated foul play, but this remains "an active death investigation."

An area resident told KGW a chainlink fence had been haphazardly moved and that's what led the property owner to finding Huston's SUV.  That neighbor also reported noticing a strong odor.

Huston, 38, had been missing since the evening of Thursday, July 24.  Police said they will release further details about her case during a press briefing scheduled for 4 p.m. but they do not believe the public is in any danger at this time.

Huston left home to run errands and seemed a little stressed out, according to her husband, Kallen Huston.  Police put together a timeline based on evidence in the case so far.  Huston left home around 5:45 p.m., withdrew a small amount of money from at ATM at the First Community Credit Union around 6 p.m., bought snacks and sleeping pills at a local Rite Aid and then gassed up her SUV at the Newberg Circle K at 6:10 p.m. Her cell phone stopped working at 6:25 p.m.

Police were able to obtain surveillance video from the bank and gas station.  Investigators who studied that video said they were confident Huston was the only person in the vehicle when it pulled up.

Huston was driving a dark green 1999 Lexus SUV with Oregon License number WXH 011. She was wearing black yoga pants with a black zip-up sweatshirt and Nike tennis shoes that were black and pink.

Kallen said Jennifer had been complaining about a headache the three days before she vanished, but she did not have any other known health issues.

Jennifer and Kallen have two young sons, ages 2 and 6, whose birthdays are both in September.  The couple also had big plans to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary on August 14. Huston's family said she was a dedicated wife and mother.

See MAP below - Where Huston's body and SUV were found:


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SO SAD!!! Maybe she overdosed???????

Posted: Aug 06, 2014 7:55 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 06, 2014 11:13 PM EDT
By FOX 12 Staff
DUNDEE, OR (KPTV) -

The search for Huston, a married mother of two young boys who was last seen July 24, garnered attention across the country.

Her body was found off a remote road in Sheridan on Tuesday about 40 yards from her SUV.

On Wednesday, the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office determined that Huston's cause of death was asphyxiation and the manner of death was suicide.

The results of toxicology tests are not available at this time, police said.

She died fairly close to the time she was reported missing, according to police.

Investigators said an empty box of sleeping aids purchased at Rite Aid in Newberg the night she disappeared was found at the scene, along with a receipt from the Circle K gas station in Newberg.

Surveillance cameras captured images of Huston at both locations.

Police said a note addressed to family members was left inside the SUV, but the contents of the note were not revealed.

Her purse and other personal items, including her cell phone, were also found inside the vehicle, according to police. The cell phone has been analyzed by computer forensic detectives.

Police said there were no signs of foul play and no indications of "nefarious activates."

Detectives have not been able to establish a link between Huston and the owners of the property where her body was discovered.

Huston's family released a statement through the Newberg-Dundee Police Department on Wednesday. It says, in part: "Our hearts ache today. We have lost our first born child. We have lost a wife and a mother. We don't know what led Jennifer to this dark place and to this end and perhaps never will understand this. We are incredibly thankful to family, friends, community and media for their searching, supporting and getting the information out that lead to locating Jennifer's car and finding Jennifer."

The family said a memorial service will be scheduled, but a date has not yet been determined. Information about it will be posted on the "Find Jennifer Huston" Facebook page.
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The Hillside Church has offered to accept any notes, cards or flowers on behalf of the Huston family. Contact Pastor Zach Elliott at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for more information.

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video above link.

Here is a post from Jennifer's FB page:

Find Jennifer Huston shared a link.
2 hours ago · Edited
The following message pertains to the Columbia Bank donation account as well as the GoFundMe account online.

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We sincerely appreciate all the support offered through these donations as well as your kind words during this difficult time. With recent developments, we intend to use these funds in the following ways:

1. search efforts (as originally allocated)
2. funeral expenses
3. counseling for the family
4. any remaining funds will be donated to a non-profit organization that supports women's health, families, and suicide prevention

We cannot enough for your continued support!

WOW!! What in the world made her take her life? What demons in her head lead her to this? She left 2 small children and what SEEMED to be a happy life/marriage. We just Never know! My heart goes out to her family and friends..but mostly to her children.

on August 07, 2014 at 10:53 AM, updated August 07, 2014 at 11:05 AM

Jennifer Huston, the Dundee woman who disappeared last week and was found dead Tuesday on a remote logging road near Sheridan, died of asphyxiation by hanging, said Dr. Karen Gunson, the Oregon state medical examiner on Thursday.

Huston, 37, a stay-at-home and mother of two sons, 6 and 2, had been missing since Thursday, July 24, when she left home to run errands.

She was last seen when she stopped to withdraw less than $100 cash, buy a few items at a drug store, then gas up her dark green 1999 Lexus LX-470 SUV.

Her body was found Tuesday morning near her SUV on Gopher Valley Road northeast of Sheridan, about 6 miles from Oregon 18.

A nearby property owner discovered the vehicle at 10:30 a.m. Newberg-Dundee police detectives found Huston's body a short distance away soon after they arrived, authorities said.

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OMG!! Was the rope still around her neck? Was she found hanging in a tree?? Holy CRAP!!

on August 07, 2014 at 11:29 AM, updated August 07, 2014 at 12:15 PM

Her death is bewildering, almost incomprehensible.

In the past day -- since police confirmed 37-year-old Jennifer Huston killed herself along a rural Sheridan logging road -- many observers have wondered why she would resort to such a dire act. The Dundee woman’s body was found Tuesday. Police announced Wednesday that she committed suicide by asphyxiation, and Thursday the medical examiner said the method was hanging.

Many are haunted by the sad end to the 12-day search. The story leading up to her disappearance just doesn’t compute. Why would Huston -- seen beaming in family photos -- leave behind a family who appeared to love her, especially two children, ages 2 and 6?

Why would she withdraw almost $100 from the bank, buy trail mix and Gatorade and gas up her car if she planned to soon after carry out a suicide plan?

Mental-health counselors say it’s human nature to try to make sense of horrific events that we don’t understand. People who appear completely content on the outside -- and even mothers of young children -- kill themselves, said two psychiatrists who spoke with The Oregonian. They added that they didn’t know Huston, and don’t have specific knowledge of her case.

“Everyone says ‘What a nice girl. What a happy person,’” said Dr. John Lipkin, a Eugene psychiatrist. “We don’t know what her circumstances were.”

But Huston’s case can remind us all that suicide is a very real problem that can affect people from all walks of life. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s astonishing to the average person who wakes up and looks forward to the day,” said Dr. Craig Zarling, a practicing Northwest Portland psychiatrist. “It’s such a foreign experience not to have that.”

Zarling says sometimes even family members or friends don’t know what’s going through the mind of a distressed person -- who, like Huston, by many accounts was a warm, loving person with so much going for her.

“An able person can keep some pretty significant stuff secret,” Zarling said. “This is the kind of stuff one doesn’t share easily."

"It’s pretty easy to call a friend up and say ‘Can you give me a lift to the hospital? I think I broke my arm,'" Zarling said. "But if you’re struggling with desperate thoughts, it’s a little bit more of a difficult thing to do.”

Mental-health professionals say people who are suicidal often don’t act rationally -- and that may mean they fill up their fuel tanks or withdraw cash that they won’t live long enough to spend. Suicidal people might see-saw between carrying out their plan and going on to live another day.

By and large, those who survive a suicide attempt are relieved they’re still alive, Zarling said. He said he’s known people “who are furious their suicide attempt was thwarted. And several weeks later, they’re thankful.”

Although experts say that while the vast majority of suicides are the result of depression, there are other reasons people kill themselves -- including health problems and traumatic events that people just don’t know how to process on their own.

Speaking generally, Lipkin, the Eugene psychiatrist, said he knew of one person who was once hospitalized for depression. He got better, but then, years later, he killed himself. His family pushed for an autopsy, which found he had a brain tumor -- which Lipkin says may have altered the man’s thinking, causing him to end his life.

Lipkin also knows of someone who killed himself because he had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and he didn’t want to experience a medically intense, drawn-out dying process.

Northern states, including Oregon, have a higher suicide rate than the nation as a whole, Lipkin said. Some speculate that that might have to do with seasonal affective disorder or a Wild West mentality of independence.

Employment issues can also be a concern for some people, Lipkin said.

Mental-health professionals encourage friends or relatives to check in with possibly distressed loved ones and ask “Are you OK?” Zarling said. Contrary to common belief, asking someone if he or she is contemplating suicide doesn’t plant the thought, Zarling said.

“You don’t put the thought in their head. You actually give them a chance to express their distress,” Zarling said, noting this is particularly important for parents of adolescents, who are especially vulnerable to acting impulsively.

Those who have suicidal thoughts are encouraged to talk to a trusted relative, a trusted friend or their primary-care doctors, who are trained to get help.

There also are 24-hour hotlines:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Multnomah County: 503-988-4888 or 1-800-716-9769
Clackamas County: 503-655-8585
Washington County: 503-291-9111
Clark County: 360-696-9560 or 1-800-686-8137
"Our success rate if pretty good at helping," Lipkin said.

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By The Oregonian
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on August 07, 2014 at 4:11 PM, updated August 07, 2014 at 4:13 PM

A public vigil in memory of Jennifer Huston will be held for her family, her friends and community members on Friday evening in Newberg.

The Newberg-Dundee Police Department said the service will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Hillside Church, 611 N. Main St.

The agency warned that traffic delays could be caused by the crowd expected for the vigil.

Huston, a 37-year-old Dundee woman, was found dead Tuesday in rural Yamhill County, near Sheridan. The mother of two young boys went missing July 24 while running errands. The investigation into her disappearance was national news for nearly two weeks.

Authorities ruled the cause of death a suicide.

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