A utility worker found an adult male body early this afternoon in a ditch on the eastbound shoulder of Highway 211, about one mile east of S. Union Mills Road, according to Oregon State Police.
The man has been identified as Justin Lelan White, 23, of Molalla.
A segment of the Highway 211 eastbound lane was still closed for investigation as of 5:15 p.m. and investigators predicted their work on the scene would continue for several more hours. Investigators believe White was struck by a car in a hit and run accident.
White left his home on Wright Road outside Molalla around 12 a.m. Friday, his brother and roommate, James White, 26, said.
Justin White had suffered head trauma in a car accident several years ago. The family was in the process of getting him admitted into a mental hospital for evaluations, James White said, hoping that doctors could prescribe a medication to help him.
It was not unusual for Justin White to take long walks.
“He walked everywhere,” James White said. “He walked from Molalla to Colton probably 20 or 30 times … He just wanders around where he wants to. That’s what he needed medicine for.”
Still, last night was different. James White said he had trouble sleeping after his brother left. When he awoke and found that Justin had not returned, he began calling everywhere he could think that his brother might be.
“We were just waiting,” White said. “I was just naming off numerous places he could be.”
When the police arrived, White was on the phone with his mother. They both knew the news would be bad.
White believes that Justin was headed toward their mother’s house in Colton when he was struck by the vehicle. He said that Justin did like to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana, but was not under the influence of either when he left the house that night.
White said he wants to get word out of his brother’s death in hopes that the driver of the vehicle will be found. He said Justin weighed around 250 pounds and surely the vehicle that hit him would have visible damage.
Authorities are seeking help in identifying and finding the vehicle. Oregon State Police, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Clackamas County Medical Examiner are involved in the investigation.
