Seven people left Eugene for a camping trip in 2025, but only five came back. The other two, 17-year-old Maleah Lewis and 21-year-old Noah Wall, were found dead in a remote area southeast of Oakridge, and three people connected to the trip now face charges in their deaths.
Lewis and Wall were killed on May 17, 2025, according to The Register-Guard. Their bodies were not discovered until three days later, on May 20, after Lane County Sheriff's Office officials received a tip about the deaths. An initial investigation indicated their deaths were the result of “homicidal violence,” officials said.
Court documents identified the victims by their full names, 17-year-old Maleah Michael Lewis and 21-year-old Noah Christopher Wall, according to reporting from Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The Lane County Sheriff's Office announced arrests on May 21, 2025, naming a 16-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, and 19-year-old Hunter Jesse Kipp Barnett in connection with the deaths.
Prosecutors Seek Adult Court for Two Teens
Prosecutors have filed motions to try the 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl as adults, per the same outlet's account. As of that report, no date had been scheduled for the waiver hearings that would determine whether the case moves to adult court, and no judge had yet been assigned.
According to Lookout Eugene-Springfield, the 16-year-old boy faces three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse. The 15-year-old girl faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse. The district attorney's office clarified that the three murder counts against the boy reflect different legal theories applied to the same underlying crime, not a third victim, stating plainly that “there is not a third victim.”
Adult Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
Barnett, the 19-year-old also arrested on May 21, was indicted on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of abusing a corpse, and has pleaded not guilty to the charges, as noted by Lookout Eugene-Springfield.
The camping trip began with seven people from Eugene and ended with two of them dead in the wilderness southeast of Oakridge, triggering a homicide investigation and multiple arrests within days. Prosecutors are seeking to try the youngest suspects as adults.
