Friends, family and concerned citizens gathered on Feb. 16 to search for a Lebanon man who went missing nine months ago.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Search and Hope Alliance, organized by Kimberly Smart, of Portland, initiated a search team to try to find Donald Leroy Simmons Jr. after she heard earlier this year about his disappearance.
“We primarily focus on indigenous communities, but we don’t turn anyone away,” Smart said.
Simmons, 50, was a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. He was last known to be staying at a motel in Lebanon until June 18, 2024. According to Smart, he texted his sister, Daphne Simmons, on June 20, 2024, to say he was going to get a haircut. That was the last time he’d been heard from.
Smart said Donald had won “a large sum of money” the night before his disappearance while playing lottery games at Bobo’s in Lebanon, and it is believed he left the facility with a woman.
Later, his van was found off Berlin Road. Daphne’s boyfriend, Nick Cotter, said that when he went to investigate, he found two men nearby the van who told him they knew nothing about the vehicle. Yet, Cotter said, when police followed up and talked to men at the van, they apparently told police that Donald Simmons had sold the car to them.
Items that were reported to have been found inside the van included Donald’s belongings, his identification, cell phone and papers, as well as a shovel and cleaning supplies. Police searched the area where the van was found, but evidence of Donald was not discovered.
On the morning of the search, Smart told approximately 14 volunteers that this is not the first time Donald has left for a period of time.
“He has left previous to this before and then came back, but never for this long and being out of touch with his family; so that’s why the red flag’s raised,” she said.
Daphne and Cotter have done their own investigation on the matter and have different ideas of what might have happened, but in the end, “we just don’t know,” Daphne said.
Cotter wonders if Simmons got poison oak and stepped into the river to ease the discomfort, a decision that might have ultimately led him to be drowned. But other things “aren’t adding up,” Cotter said.
When asked if they think foul play is involved, he said, “We don’t want to think that, but everything’s pointing in that direction.”
Daphne’s friend, Jennifer Nelson, of Albany, joined the group to help find Donald.
“It breaks my heart for somebody to not have any kind of closure or know what’s going on with him,” Nelson said.
Prior to heading out, Smart gave information to the group about where they would be searching and how to use flags to mark areas searched. Using search grids along the Santiam River at Riverside Park and Berlin Road, the volunteers paired up and began walking through fields and vegetation where the van was found.
“These searches are really tedious,” Smart told the group. “It’s literally we’re looking for the needle in a haystack.”
She clarified that this particular search was for recovery of remains, but added that some people do just want to leave and never be found.
“I want his friends and family to understand that maybe Donald just left,” Smart said.
After the day-long search, Smart told Lebanon Local that they found “a lot,” but much of what was found requires various forensic analysis, which will take some time, she said. Since this is an ongoing investigation, Smart did not reveal details.
“We truly hope to bring a close to this case and give Siletz tribal member Donald Simmons Jr. a proper burial and bring him home to his family and friends,” she said.
MMIW is a new volunteer organization formed last year by Smart. She learned about Simmons earlier this year and offered to organize a search event for him.
“His family reached out to us for help, so that’s why we’re down here doing this,” Smart said. “His life mattered.”
Donald was last seen wearing blue jeans, a dark colored T-shirt with white graphics, a baseball cap and work boots. He is 5’10” and weighs 200 pounds. Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Timothy Trahan at (541) 258-4318 or Det. Sergeant Jeremy Weber at (541) 258-4342.