TRAPPED ALIVE: The Tragic Death of Jerry McDonald | Harrowing Deaths

In February of 2011, Jerry William McDonald went up into the mountains of Oregon to do some camping. A few months later he was found by service rangers dead in the back of his truck. Jerry had become trapped in the mountains and documented his final days. Jerry survived for 68 days in the mountains of West Lin before dying of starvation and hypothermia.

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[aquachonk]

Oregonian here, avid hiker. There are no "mountains of West Linn, " it's a town completely surrounded by other towns in the Portland, OR, metro area. The area Jerry was in was quite a drive from there, especially considering the 4x4 roads he traveled, and it's rugged backcountry. You have to factor in bears, mountain lions, and random gun-toting rural folk when you go.

Schizophrenia aside, one good reason why he may not have tried to walk out was our Cascade Concrete. We rarely get light, fluffy powder you can just plow through with your body. More often, it's a thick, heavy, water-logged snow that saps the strength right out of your legs, even on snowshoes, and he was facing over 6 feet of the stuff. The guy was old, cold, and starving--that makes three miles seem like three hundred.

[jean-jnnq]

I heard myself saying “me too” when the narrator said he hopes he is in a better place. I keep coming back to this channel because they present in such a humane way. Very much appreciated

[Jackasses]

He has a kind face. I’m going believe he fell asleep comfortably and passed on in his sleep.

[roxannepearls]

I’ve lived in Oregon and have driven on roads that have been plowed where the walls of snow are three stories high. How many of us here are six feet tall or much over that? Think about trying to walk three miles to a town when the snow in one night is taller than you. Every survivalist training teaches to stay in one place if lost or in trouble. This unfortunate man was doing exactly what expert rescue teaching says to do. Just because he preferred his own company to others doesn’t mean he just threw in the towel and gave up on himself.

[tarawillis]

What a sad story. Such a terrible and preventable tragedy. Heartbreaking. Thank you for honoring this man’s life. ♥️😢

[karendobbs]

Sad story. I’m glad to hear he did have a family who loved him, and never gave up looking for him. I hope Jerry knew that.

[Krystalmyth]

I remember 2011. It was a horrible season for snow. Extremely rare for Portland alone, with buses sliding sideways down hills. I can only imagine how bad in was in the mountains. It's literally never been that bad since. There was no way he could have expected this snowstorm. It caught a lot of us by surprise.

[roxannepearls]

Jerry is in a much better place. A place where you recognized him and shared his humanity with us. Thank you again for reminding us about recognizing compassion even in the medium of social media .

[shannoncarlson]

I can understand this man's journey for peace and solitude and wanting to be with nature. It's likely he didn't want to leave his truck which seemed to be his home. Although I can also see him believing that help would soon come. So tragic. Poor man. Great video.

[jkirstyn]

Thank you for treating each victim with respect. I keep coming back because you treat these stories with respect and dont sensationalize them.

[ithinkso]

His story about lonely life kinda reminded me of one woman from Mexico (I forgot her name) who loved cats and had many of them, but she also was trapped, but here in the house. No one helped her because she even didn't had anyone to contact with and after she died, her cats also died. I hope they both live in better place :(

[fluffstuffpootiebean]

One of my biggest fears is ending up in a position where I have no home...no one that cares...no where to go. Seems like a fate worse than death, really.

[tonyarichards]

Poor guy. He was where he wanted to be. Still tragic.

[walkerpantera]

Totally understand. im 54 and a loner myself. im VERY content with nature's company here in central rural Maryland.

[joannewilson]

I truly hope this man is in a better place. Thank you for telling his story and in such a nice way. People can know him and who he was and he shouldn’t be forgotten

[megyskermike]

Well that's a depressing way to start the day, glad you added that last bit; shows a little more insight into his life/struggles and who he was as a person.

[patriciayoung]

Beautifully done. I especially liked the added information at the rnd. You could have just left that out and moved on but you didn't. Your videos are not about the disasters, they are a eulegy for the dead

[kayla]

Love when you're watching these videos and they start talking about your hometown....😳

[Tsumami__]

I assumed mental illness was a major factor in this. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life and even I understand you can’t just dig yourself out when there’s heavy snowpack. It literally just turns to ice, it’s not even powder anymore. It’s crazy he didn’t realize this when going anywhere that gets heavy snowfall.

[KatieGrady]

I lived in West Linn for 20 years. I love your channel. I had to do a double take when I heard you were talking about my hometown. There’s actually no where to camp near WL. I’ve never heard of this case before. I stay up to date on our local news, as well as having many friends in law enforcement here. How sad, and how strange.