Officials suspend search for Oregon man missing in Juneau

Update — Aug. 23, 1:45 p.m.

Search and rescue officials have suspended their search for an Oregon man who went missing in the Juneau area.

Joseph Clayton was last seen Friday morning when he left his father’s house for a planned hike up Perseverance Trail. When he didn’t come home that evening, his father went looking for him and found his car at the Auke Lake boat ramp.

A silver alert was activated. Alaska State Troopers and the Southeast Alaska Dogs Organized for Ground Search, or SEADOGS, looked for Clayton around Auke Lake.

After two days of searching over the weekend, troopers say they found no other signs that Clayton was in the area. But they’ll resume active searching if they have any further indications of his whereabouts.

Juneau police are assigning a detective and investigating Clayton’s disappearance as a missing persons case. Some of his family members are arriving in Juneau from out-of-state to do their own volunteer search efforts.

Joseph Clayton goes by or responds to “Joe.” He’s a 48-year-old, white male, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and 220 pounds. He was last seen wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a light-colored backpack. Anyone seeing Clayton is advised against rushing up to help him since he has anxiety that may force him to retreat.

Original story

State officials are asking people in Juneau keep an eye out for Joseph Clayton, a 48-year-old man who has gone missing.

They issued a silver alert for him Saturday, saying he was last seen on Threadneedle Street in town.  He is described as wearing a white shirt, jeans and carrying a backpack. He’s got brown hair, hazel eyes, weighs about 220 pounds and he is 6 feet, 2 inches tall.

Juneau police said in a Facebook post that Clayton was last seen around 7:30 a.m. Friday leaving his father’s home for a hike, and his car was seen at the Auke Lake boat launch.

“Mr. Clayton is not from Juneau, nor is he familiar with Juneau or the trail systems,” police said. “It is believed he was alone when he went missing.”

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Silver alerts are issued when a vulnerable adult is missing and believed to be in serious danger.  Anyone with information about Clayton can call the silver alert hotline at 855-745-8799.

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