Washington County authorities are asking the public for help finding two 11-year-old boys who went missing Tuesday near Southwest 170th Avenue and TV Highway. Deputies believe Bentley Blackwell and Emerson McLain are together, and they say the pair may be familiar with the region's TriMet transit system.
Bentley was last seen Tuesday afternoon at his school near Southwest 170th Avenue and TV Highway, according to KATU. Emerson was last seen Tuesday morning as he headed to school, and Washington County deputies have since said they believe he is with Bentley. Authorities have not detailed how the boys' paths may have crossed or where they were headed.
What the Boys Look Like
Deputies released physical descriptions to help the public identify the boys. Bentley stands about 4 feet 11 inches tall and has black hair, though the photo circulated by authorities shows him with brown hair, the station's report notes. Emerson is about 5 feet tall with blond hair.
Authorities have said the boys may know their way around TriMet, raising the possibility they could be traveling by bus or rail somewhere in the Portland metro area. No further details on clothing, direction of travel, or possible destinations have been released.
The area is connected to the MAX system: TriMet’s Elmonica/SW 170th Avenue station serves the Blue and Red lines, which run between Hillsboro and Portland. The station is south of Baseline Road on SW 170th Avenue, and TriMet lists connections from there toward Portland City Center. That transit access provides useful geographic context for deputies’ initial warning that the boys might know the system; it does not establish that they traveled by MAX. TriMet’s station information details the routes and connections.
How to Help
Oregon’s Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse distributes missing-person information to law enforcement, school districts, state and federal agencies, and the public under state law. An AMBER Alert is a separate tool: Oregon State Police says law enforcement must confirm an abduction and believe the child faces imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, among other criteria. Those standards distinguish an AMBER Alert from a general request for public assistance. The state clearinghouse’s role and Oregon’s AMBER Alert criteria are outlined by state police.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police or county deputies, per the same account. It is not yet clear whether the boys have been located since the initial appeal for help went out.
