Oregon man accused of cutting into tent and kidnapping female campers on hiking trail

A registered Oregon sex offender has faced formal accusations after he allegedly forced his way into a tent occupied by two female campers who were staying in a remote wilderness area in 2024.

According to an official press release distributed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, fifty-eight-year-old Gene Arnold McLenithan allegedly abducted the pair of holidaymakers at around midnight on July 4, 2024.

The alleged incident took place along a public hiking route located within Tillamook County, Oregon.

Federal investigators stated that McLenithan "bound the victims [and] covered their eyes" before explicitly telling them during the ordeal that he intended to carry out a sexual assault.

Violent Threats with Weapons

During a recent legal update, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Rochat stated that McLenithan carried a bag filled with razor-sharp knives, according to reports from local newspaper The Oregonian.

Whilst delivering threats of sexual violence to the terrified women, the suspect allegedly warned his captives that "it's not worth" their lives.

At this stage in the ongoing investigation, judicial documents have not revealed the precise details regarding how the two women successfully managed to make their escape from the armed captor.

Previous Criminal Convictions

Media outlets The Oregonian and the Statesman Journal reviewed public court records, revealing that the accused man has a serious criminal history.

He was found guilty back in 2000 of sodomy and burglary charges following a criminal assault that took place in Otis in May 1999.

In relation to this latest summer trial incident, the local federal prosecutor confirmed that the state has charged him with kidnapping alongside attempted abusive sexual contact.

The official legal report also highlighted that a presiding judge has ordered him to be held in custody whilst he awaits his future court hearings.

Public Appeal for Information

Federal authorities suspect that McLenithan may have targeted additional individuals over the years.

They are actively encouraging anyone possessing relevant details, or anyone who believes they may have been victimised by the suspect, to phone the regional FBI branch directly at (503) 224-4181.

Alternatively, members of the community can pass on information securely through the internet by filling out a form at https://tips.fbi.gov.