Active search suspended for Oregon woman missing 1 week

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Authorities have suspended the active search for a woman last seen with her boyfriend a week ago outside of Portland, Oregon.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday that it would continue to investigate Allyson Watterson's disappearance but it had exhausted all physical leads after scouring 1,600 acres of rural land near North Plains over the past week.

The 20-year-old woman was first reported missing on Dec. 23 by her boyfriend's father, Don Garland, who claimed Watterson and Benjamin Garland were hiking when the couple became separated in the woods.

The father said they went out searching for her that day instead of immediately reporting her missing because Benjamin Garland had outstanding warrants for his arrest. He has since pleaded not guilty to unrelated charges of theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Meanwhile, Misty Watterson, Allyson’s mother, has said that her daughter and the boyfriend had been in North Plains to visit a friend when their car broke down and that the two got separated as they left to go get help.

But investigators said there's no evidence to support either of those accounts and that the delay in reporting her missing was concerning.

On Saturday, Misty Watterson urged the public to keep searching.

"Allyson, I will never stop looking for you,” her mother said.