Two sisters from Orange County are desperate to find their teenage nephew and his girlfriend after the couple went missing from Knappa, Oregon last week.
Jonathan Stockle, 18, and 15-year-old Penny Lyles are listed missing by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office.
“There was some abuse going on,” says the boy’s aunt, April LaBagh-Beougher, who is from Goshen but now lives in the state of Florida. “They tried to report it to the school. The cop came and basically told her just to go home.”
The boy’s other aunt, Crystal Vanduzer, currently lives in Orange County. She says Stockle and his girlfriend went missing from Knappa High School on Nov. 14.
“We are scared. He’s a good kid and didn’t deserve this,” says Vanduzer.
The sisters say Stockle moved from his parents’ house in Thayer, Missouri in July to live with Lyles and her father in Oregon, and that Lyles' father allegedly became abusive.
“They ended up running because the father slashed his tires and jammed something in his ignition,” said LaBagh-Beougher.
Oregon law enforcement has not confirmed the circumstances surrounding the teens’ disappearance or the allegations of abuse made by Stockle's aunts. Authorities have not said the couple are in danger, but his aunts say Jonathan text his parents Tuesday night while in the woods saying, “he’s scared,” and not to call because he’d be “shot” if he was found.
“He was telling them to stop calling because if they heard him and found him, they would kill him,” said LaBagh-Beougher. “Nobody has seen anything or heard anything. They haven’t even found his car.”
Oregon authorities reported online that the teens could be on private or state timber lands in the Clatsop or Columbia County area. They released photos of the couple and a stock picture of Jonathan’s car.
The teen’s aunts say they’re desperate to help - even from thousands of miles away.
“They did run for a reason, and they may be hiding in fear. We just want them to come home,” LaBagh-Beougher says.”
Oregon authorities have not returned News 12’s calls for information. The phone number we called for Lyle’s father had a full voicemail box and our text was not returned.
Stockle is described by police as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 155 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. Lyles is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 120 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. Lyle's vehicle is a gray colored 1998 Toyota Rav4 with an Oregon license plate J47HRL, according to authorities.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office at 503-325-2061.