Police, family search for missing Univ. of Portland student: 'How can I help?'

PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities are asking for help in finding a missing 18-year-old University of Portland student who hasn't been seen since he left his dorm room on Sunday night.

Relatives say this kind of thing is very out of character for Owen Klinger.

Owen's mother, Mary Klinger, said her son wasn't having any troubles that she knows of, and he is not the kind of person to just take off and leave.

She tells KATU News that lacrosse and playing guitar are two of her son's favorite activities, outside of attending classes during his freshman year at the University of Portland.

"This is Owen's lacrosse portraits from senior year," Mary Klinger said Tuesday, pointing to one of several pictures inside her Northeast Portland home.

Owen told his dorm roommates he was leaving for a lacrosse team meeting around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night, but Owen never showed up at the gathering.

"His roommates are really great," said Mary Klinger, "They noticed that he was not in his dorm on Sunday night and they alerted the hall director Monday morning at 1 a.m. They sent an email. And then they called us Monday morning at eight-thirty. It's really out of character for Owen not to come home to the dorm."

Neighbor Bill Lennertz hovered over a map inside Klinger's home Tuesday, taking calls from volunteers and hoping to help find the young man he watched grow up.

"And I keep getting emails - 'How can I help? How can I help?' So we've got this map here and we're distributing people around the area around the university with fliers," said Lennertz.

Some of those fliers now line Willamatte Boulevard across from the University of Portland.

Police released a photo of Owen taken as he left his dorm Sunday night, wearing a small backpack and tennis shoes.

"He didn’t take much with him when he left," said Mary Klinger. "Which is so strange. And where do you go on Sunday at 8:30?"