Missing Ariz. Teen's Car Found With Wallet, ID Inside: 'We Just Don't Know What He Left With'

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By LINZIE JANIS and ALEXIS SHAW | Good Morning America


http://i.imgur.com/wBqcpxW.jpg

A concerned father is scouring the Oregon wilderness for his 18-year-old son after the teen mysteriously vanished on a road trip home to Arizona from Washington state.

Johnathan Croom was driving back to Arizona after visiting a friend in Seattle on Aug. 16. It is believed no one has heard from the teen since Aug. 18, according to a Douglas County, Ore., Sheriff's Office news release.

Croom's father, David Croom, told ABC's "Good Morning America" he sent his friend a text message on his way home that revealed he wanted to go "on an adventure."

"She says, 'I hope you enjoy your adventure. Hello? Johnathan? Are you there?'" David Croom told ABC's "Good Morning America." "That's the last time."

Croom said he fears his son may have been inspired by the 2007 film "Into the Wild." The movie was inspired by the real-life events of Christopher McCandless, a young hiker who sought isolation in the Alaskan wilderness.

"We're talking about a kid who has been almost obsessed with this particular movie," he said. "My concern is that he's out there with very limited resources and not a lot of experience."

Authorities found Johnathan Croom's 2000 green Honda CR-V abandoned in Riddle, Ore., on Wednesday. The teen's wallet, photo ID, $200 cash and a book on outdoor survival tactics were left inside, leading police to believe he may not want to be found.

Croom was due back last weekend before his classes began at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., on Aug. 19, The Associated Press reported.

Since local authorities are not equipped to go deep into the wilderness, David Croom is hoping they'll allow private rescue groups to help him with his search. Until then, Croom's father said he'll stop at nothing until he finds his son.

"I've never felt a fear like this," David Croom said. "It's unexplainable."

Johnathan Croom is described as 6'1" and 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on Croom is asked to contact the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

[deebakes]

doesn't sound so good :-k

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Didnt he get to the end of that movie

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Didnt he get to the end of that movie

I'm guessing he turned it off about 2/3's of the way thru it :lol:

[Hal-9000]

"The movie was inspired by the real-life events of Christopher McCandless"

and from the book, apparently his downfall was a river that rose due to run-off...and there was a mechanical crossing device less than a mile from where he was found...he was supposedly trapped on that side of river with no game to hunt and he died of starvation...

I hope this kid didn't idolize Chris to the point where he didn't take a compass or other basic survival gear

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Associated Press


The father of an Arizona teenager whose body was found near his abandoned SUV in the woods of southern Oregon said his son was "a young man who had a broken heart."

The body of Johnathan Croom, 18, was found Monday evening about 1,000 feet from where his vehicle was found abandoned last week, Douglas County sheriff's spokesman Dwes Hutson said in a statement.

Hutson said the Apache Junction, Ariz., youth's death was being investigated as a suicide but he provided no additional information. He didn't return a call for comment.

In a telephone interview from Oregon, David Croom said his son was grieving the end of a recent relationship with "someone back in Phoenix."

"He was a young man who had a broken heart and headed out to try to find himself," the elder Croom said. "We're looking forward to finding out exactly what happened."

He thanked everyone who helped search for his son and added, "Please pray for our family."

The father said he had no specifics on a cause of death.

The teen had talked with his parents about the book "Into the Wild" and told a friend he wanted to run away.

Croom's SUV was found Wednesday in Riddle, a town of 1,200 people just off the state's main north-south thoroughfare, Interstate 5.

His mother, Monica Croom, had said he was traveling alone and on his way back from Seattle, where he visited a friend. The teen was due in Arizona on Aug. 17 to start college in Mesa.

Hutson said earlier that text messages between Croom and a friend indicated Croom wanted to run away.

Hutson said Croom also talked to his parents about Christopher McCandless, whose journey to Alaska was documented in the book "Into the Wild." McCandless gave up his worldly goods to live in the Alaska wilderness, only to die there, perhaps from eating wild potatoes.

"I think we have kind of a combination there," Hutson said earlier Monday. "He talked with his parents about `Into the Wild,' and in text messages we've looked at, he does specifically talk about running away, kind of just running away from his life."

Earlier this year, a 19-year-old from Oklahoma disappeared after talking to his parents about the same book and setting out to test himself against the Oregon wilderness.

Dustin Self's truck was found in April on Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon. The last search for Self was in the spring, after snow melted, but it yielded no hints to his location.