He Vanished While At A County Fair In Oregon
For Jeremy Bright and his younger sister, S’te, the Coos County Fair in Myrtle Point was something they looked forward to every August.
In 1986, Jeremy was 14 years old, while S’te was 10, and they lived in Grants Pass, Oregon, with their mother, Diane Beatty. However, their stepfather lived in Myrtle Point, which was about two hours away from Grants Pass, so they got to stay with their stepfather and attend the fair.
“Instead of them veggin’ in Grants Pass for a week while I worked and went to school, I thought that would be a great little trip for them. I have regretted it ever since,” Diane said.
That’s because on August 14, 1986, Jeremy vanished. That Thursday, he reportedly attended the fair with his close friend Johnny before he gave his mother a call at 4:45 p.m. During their conversation, Jeremy claimed to be having a great time, and Diane detailed how she’d be picking him up in Myrtle Point in two days.
Later, at 9:40 p.m., Jeremy reportedly visited a local tavern, which his grandmother owned, met up with his stepfather, and asked to borrow money. After that, his parents never saw or heard from him again.
S’te and Jeremy reportedly became separated at a Ferris wheel, and when she initially told the police that her brother was missing, they figured he’d left with friends.
By the time Diane showed up in Myrtle Beach, though, Jeremy was still gone. She realized that his wallet, house keys, and new watch had been left on top of the TV set as well, and she knew he wouldn’t have left them behind.
Authorities eventually concluded that Jeremy hadn’t run away on his own, prompting other agencies to aid the search for the missing teen.
“He did like the fair. There was the thought that perhaps he was hiding out, intending to leave with the fair people, and I’ve explored that possibility in every way I can think of,” explained Sergeant Steve Dalton of the Coos County Sheriff’s Department.
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“However, in this particular case, I’ve talked to family members and friends who knew him well. And he was just not, from what I can learn, the type of kid who would have struck out on his own.”
As the fair closed on August 17, 1986, news of Jeremy’s disappearance had circulated throughout Myrtle Point, sparking various rumors. One claimed he’d drank laced beer at a party; meanwhile, another alleged Jeremy and his friends had been harassed by other teens at a swimming hole.
According to Sergeant Dalton, a jailhouse informant said that Jeremy was brought to a cabin within 10 miles of Myrtle Point.
“[They] attempted to nurse him back to health… he died as a result of that injury, either from loss of blood or from infection or what have you. That same source indicated that his body would be found within 200 feet of this cabin in a shallow grave,” he noted.
Yet, investigators reportedly searched around the cabin and uncovered no evidence.
It has now been over 38 years since Jeremy disappeared, and there have been few leads in his case. There was one person of interest, Terry Lee Steinhoff, but he died more than 15 years ago.
Jeremy was allegedly last seen in a car with Terry, who murdered a Coos County woman and was sentenced to life behind bars.
“We tried multiple times to talk to him [about Jeremy’s disappearance]. He was never forthcoming,” stated former Coos County Sheriff Zani.
Terry ultimately died in 2007. While authorities searched his properties, in addition to a pond where police suspected Jeremy’s remains might’ve been dumped, they never uncovered any clues.
In 2011, Jeremy’s loved ones released 1,000 balloons in Myrtle Point to honor his memory. A Facebook group entitled “Help Find Jeremy Donald Bright” was also created to continue raising awareness about his case.
“Today is 38 Thanksgivings without you. I am watching the Macy’s parade. You always loved that. This year, you have Papa Keith with you. You never met him here on Earth. Your sister loves him almost as much as I do,” Diane wrote in a Facebook post to her son on November 28, 2024.
“I hope you have found each other and the rest of the family. Join him and send us some clues. Maybe we will be able to find you. We love and miss you so much.”
As of 2018, Coos County Evidence Custodian Larry Leader encouraged community members to keep submitting tips.
“Nobody is going to listen to you and shine you on. All the tips we get are written down, documented, and go with the report. When it’s reviewed, it is a piece, and it doesn’t go away. Sometimes a tip can be what puts some of the pieces together that didn’t make sense before,” he said.
At the time he went missing, Jeremy was six feet tall, weighed 140 pounds, and had brown hair and green eyes. He was last seen wearing a red tank top, blue nylon shorts, a black windbreaker, and black Nike sneakers with red laces.
The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children published an age-progressed photo showing what Jeremy might’ve looked like at 48 years old. He would be 52 years old today.
Anyone with information regarding his case is urged to contact the Coos County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 396-7830.
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