MERLIN, Ore. –Richard Hillmann was last seen leaving a friend’s Thanksgiving party on November 22, 2017.
Now, police believe foul play is involved.
“You take for granted… the end of it all,” said Lori Algra. “You get to cremate them or bury them and have a service for them… and we don’t get that with my dad.”
It’s been nearly a year since her father, Richard Hillmann, vanished.
No trace of Hillman or his Toyota pick-up have ever been found.
The 60-year-old had been living alone in a trailer park in Merlin.
“He loved his spot too. He was like I have the best spot in the park,” said Algra.
Algra says her father lived a pretty structured life, checking every day off on his calendar. It’s how she and her husband knew something didn’t add up.
“His pills weren’t…he had his little pill case, you know, his daily pills. And when we saw his Thursday pills hadn’t been taken, we knew,” she said.
Richard had plans to cook Thanksgiving dinner for some friends, but the night before he went to another Thanksgiving party; a mere 8 minute drive from his house.
Police say that’s the last anyone saw of him.
“Things just aren’t adding up,” said Sergeant Jeff Proulx, Oregon State Police.
Sgt. Proulx says many people saw Hillmann leave the party, but it’s what may have happened after that’s the focus of their investigation.
“We feel that foul play is involved,” he said. “We feel that Mr. Hillman was harmed and possibly murdered…”
It’s a conclusion Hillmann’s daughter says she’s already come to terms with.
“The anguish is just unbearable,” Algra said.
But it doesn’t take away the pain.
“…That’s what we want, that’s what we want now…all we want,” she said. “We just want closure to this. We want to say our good byes.”
Hillmann’s family has raised the reward for Richard Hillmann to $10,000.
Anyone with information should contact Oregon State Police.
For the family’s Facebook page, click here.
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