Bend Police ask Tesla drivers to review video footage for clues in homicide investigation

Published 2:15 pm Friday, August 4, 2023

Investigators are requesting Tesla drivers to check their vehicles’ video footage for evidence in the ongoing homicide investigation of Evelyn Weaver, Bend Police said in a news release Friday.

Weaver, 28, was found dead by police on July 18 in her home on the 200 block of NW Hill Street in Bend. Police initially determined the death was of a “suspicious nature” but later changed it to a homicide. Two days after she was found dead, on July 20, Weaver’s 2004 Silver Honda CR-V was located in Klamath Falls by a community member.

Sheila Miller, Bend Police spokesperson, said video footage provided by residents and businesses in both Bend and Klamath Falls, and along U.S. Highway 97 between the two cities, has been instrumental in building a timeline around Weaver’s homicide.

“We had video evidence that showed the vehicle being left in Klamath Falls in the early morning hours of July 15. So, trying to tighten up that time frame and getting a better sense of where the vehicle traveled is all really important for us,” Miller said. “There is so much video surveillance in the world nowadays, and we have been asking the public for assistance in various parts of this investigation and they have been helpful.”

As the investigation continues, police are asking Tesla drivers to review their video footage for possible clues in the homicide. Under certain circumstances, Tesla vehicles collect video footage both while moving and when stationary, Bend Police said.

Miller said the police department is aware of other departments around the country using Tesla footage to successfully help solve crimes. She said Tesla footage can be recovered through the vehicle’s USB drive, but suggested Tesla drivers consult the vehicle’s manual on how to review footage.

Police are asking Tesla drivers who might have been in Bend on July 14 between 3 and 5 p.m. to review their footage, the release said. The goal is to get video of Weaver’s vehicle with Oregon license plate 085BMP, and of anyone walking on the 200 block of NW Hill Street.

Specific areas police are seeking footage from include, NW Florida Avenue between NW Chamberlain Street and Hill Street, NW Chamberlain, NW Sisemore Street, NW Harriman Street and NW Hill Street between NW Florida Avenue and NW Arizona Avenue, the southbound Bend Parkway, and SE Third Street, the release said.

“I think it is important for people to realize that you could have seen something and you don’t even know you saw it,” Miller said. “And that is the power of all this technology is that there could be some image sitting on someone’s Tesla that they don’t even realize could be a key for us to figure out this case.”

Tesla drivers who find footage that could help advance the investigation into Weaver’s homicide are encouraged to call detective Sgt. Tommy Russell at 541-312-7955 or email him at trussell@bendoregon.gov.