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Ashland father, child disappearance investigated By Jill Briskey An Ashland father who took his daughter to visit her grandmother in Cottage Grove Wednesday never returned home, and family and friends have launched a search effort to find them. The Jackson County Sheriff�s Department is investigating the disappearance of 43-year-old ranch manager Jeff Wisdom and his 4-year-old daughter, Jill. According to Detective Sgt. Rich Fogarty, the two left Cottage Grove at around 8:30 a.m. after a family visit, reportedly traveling south on Interstate 5. Nobody has seen or heard from the two since then, he said. "At this point we�re treating this as a missing person�s case," Fogarty said. On Thursday morning, Wisdom�s family and friends began searching up and down the Interstate 5 corridor, Fogarty said. Around noon, Wisdom�s white Chevrolet Suburban was found parked at the Drain exit, abandoned. "The car had apparently broken down," Fogarty said. "He left a note in the vehicle saying that he was going for help." There was no evidence that any foul play had taken place, he said. The Suburban was towed by Oregon State Police and is being stored in Douglas County. "It�s just suspicious at this point," Fogarty said. Secondhand reports from friends and family who were canvassing the area suggested that Wisdom may have asked for help in a nearby area only to be turned down, Fogarty said. One of the searchers spoke to a clerk from a Canyonville convenience store who may have seen the father and daughter at about noon on Wednesday, he said. The clerk reportedly said the daughter�s description matched a picture he was shown of the pair, but he wasn�t sure if the man in the store was Wisdom himself, Fogarty added. Pictures and a description of Wisdom and his daughter are being passed along to officials in Josephine and Douglas County, as well as other law enforcement agencies. Wisdom�s wife said this type of behavior is uncharacteristic for her husband, Fogarty said. Anyone who may have spotted the two recently or have any information regarding their disappearance are urged to call the sheriff�s office at 776-7131, Fogarty said. "Let us know and we can check it out," he said. "At this point, it�s really all we can do." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.