A Bend man missing since Dec. 25 was found alive Wednesday afternoon at the bottom of a dry well just blocks from his home in midtown Bend.

John Michael McLerran was found by the owner of a storage unit who recognized McLerran’s photo from a missing person flyer, recalling McLerran had rented a storage unit last week.

Previous reports

Bend man reported missing, last seen on Christmas

“A deep sigh of relief … that’s what I just did,” said Gary Chou, McLerran’s roommate and one of the last people to see him before he went missing. “Part of me doesn’t feel like it’s real. Pinch me, I’m dreaming.”

According to a news release from the Bend Police Department, Bend Fire & Rescue responded to the scene just after 3 p.m. Dec. 27 and extracted McLerran, who was 6 feet below street level in a dry well in the parking lot of Norton Street Storage, 365 NE Norton Ave., just east of NE Third Street.

Chou added that the owner of the storage unit heard McLerran calling for help upon returning to the property to review security camera footage that might help in the missing person search.

McLerran, 34, was in good condition but was taken to St. Charles Bend for evaluation, according to Bend Police.

For McLerran’s friends and family, the last few days have been a whirlwind. Just earlier Wednesday, around 30 people gathered to search for McLerran near where he was last seen at his home before telling his roommates he was leaving to grab coffee and would be “back soon.”

“I’d like to say thanks to everybody that showed up (for the search party). We had people come up from Clackamas; we had people come from all over Oregon to help look for him — friends and family and even people we didn’t know. So thank you to everybody that came out and helped,” said Tyler Palmer, McLerran’s best friend who drove in from Salem to help search.

McLerran’s sister, Stacia McLerran, told The Bulletin her brother was at the hospital Wednesday afternoon and appeared to be OK. McLerran did not have his wallet or ID on him when he was found, but Palmer said McLerran identified himself by name when the ambulance arrived.

Although McLerran was found in good physical condition, there is no update on his status. Earlier, Chou told The Bulletin McLerran’s behavior had become increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to his disappearance.

“It just wasn’t John,” Chou said, recounting how he didn’t seem coherent while the group of roommates presented their dogs with Christmas presents that morning. At this time, there is no indication as to why McLerran rented the storage unit nor an account of how he ended up at the bottom of the dry well.