The strange disappearance of Alissa Marie McCrann from Multnomah Falls

Alissa Marie McCrann, disappeared December 19, 2015, Multnomah Falls, Oregon.

Revised January 2024

Alissa Marie McCrann, 37, from Portland in Oregon, disappeared whilst on a run near the Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge on Saturday, December 19th, 2015. The attraction is around a 30-minute drive from Portland, Oregon. Despite an extensive search and the discovery of her car, she remains missing five years on.

The disappearance of Alissa McCrann

Alissa left her home in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood in Portland and got into her Mazda CX-7 to run near the Franklin Ridge Loop trail, near the Multnomah Falls.

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon.

According to Outdoorproject.com, "The Franklin Ridge Loop hike is a great option for hikers looking to link up the heavily trafficked, well-known waterfalls along Multnomah and Oneonta Creek with several peaceful miles of solitude. It is also a good transition from the area's easier day hikes into the more strenuous hikes."

She lived with her Korean parents and had a 13-year-old son. She had no known medical or mental health issues. 

On Monday, December 21, the authorities were informed that Alissa was missing when she didn't turn up for work at Sunshine Dairy.

Her cellphone was last used at around 10 am on December 19th to make a Facebook post, but after that, calls went to voice mail—the phone last pinged on Cascade Ave in Tigard, a 45-minute drive from the Falls.

The search for Alissa McCrann near the Franklin Ridge Trail

Alissa’s 2011 Mazda CX7 was found parked at the Multnomah Falls parking lot on December 22.

A couple walking near Multnomah Falls reported a possible sighting of Alissa near Franklin Ridge on a Saturday afternoon at around 3 pm. She wore running clothes and shoes but had no food or water and was not wearing gear suitable for cold weather. The couple said they had spoken to Alissa and advised her to head back to her car, but she had run off down the trail in an apparent bid to stay warm.

Over 100 Searchers scoured over 150 miles of trails in the gorge, focusing on Franklin Ridge, but found nothing, hampered by over a foot of fresh snow at higher elevations. Sniffer dogs were deployed but failed to pick up a scent. Crews say they had a plane fly over the area, but the pilot found no signs of McCrann anywhere. 

The search was suspended on Thursday, December 24, 2015, due to the dangerous weather conditions. The sheriff's office consulted with a wilderness doctor from OHSU Hospital and the Portland Police Bureau's missing persons unit before deciding to suspend search efforts.

A friend Eric Ledecky described Alissa as an upbeat, friendly person."She'd do anything for you. She's the first one at your party. During birthdays, she gets you things. She'd help others out without asking for things in return. She's a good person. Everyone should have a friend like her."

On Saturday, January 23, 2016, the search for Alissa, which police classified as a recovery mission, was resumed. Sixty volunteers took part, but again, no luck. The Facebook page dedicated to finding her posted an update after the weekend search ended. "Even though we did not find her, it felt wonderful to know the community has not forgotten Alissa. It's such an amazing outpouring of love and support. Again, all my love and respect goes out to the teams that helped orchestrate this latest search. They had a lot of manpower above the falls today and hopefully, the next search is the one that brings her home. We really miss her."

What happened to Alissa?

Over the years since Alissa disappeared, no trace has been found of her remains. Strangely, she was seen running so late in the day in December when darkness would soon fall, especially for an experienced runner in Oregon. Did hypothermia cause her to run off-trail for some reason and seek shelter, which has made it more difficult to locate her body? Despite her 13-year-old son, did she plan to disappear intentionally? There was no evidence of mental health issues.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multnomah_Falls

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/32242/10

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/12/sheriffs_office_suspends_searc.html

http://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/search-suspended-for-portland-woman-missing-near-multnomah-falls/283-7342607

http://www.kptv.com/story/30820041/possible-sighting-of-missing-woman-on-columbia-gorge-hiking-trail

https://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/oregon/hikes/franklin-ridge-loop-hike

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?297152-OR-Alissa-McCrann-37-Tigard-19-Dec-2015/page1