Daming Xu, an associate professor of mathematics at the University, was reported missing Sunday after he failed to return from a hike near Cougar Reservoir.
Xu told his friends and family that he had planned to go for a day hike Sunday, but no one has heard from him since.
“We’re staying pretty optimistic,” said daughter Xin Xu. “We just heard they located his car.”
A search party from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office found Xu’s 2003 Chevrolet Impala at about 1:30 p.m., seven miles east of Highway 126 near the reservoir. His jacket was inside the car.
“That’s bad, because that means he was walking around in the cold without his jacket,” said Xin Xu.
Mathematics department head Brad Shelton said Xu’s fellow professors Qi-Man Shao, Huaxin Lin and Hao Wang drove to the reservoir area Tuesday morning to assist in the search. They returned in the afternoon after the search party found Xu’s car.
“They know he must be nearby now,” said Shelton. He expressed hope that the search party would find him before the end of the day. He also said the sheriff’s office had arranged to fly a helicopter over the area Tuesday as soon as the fog cleared.
“We’re trying to provide any help we can to the sheriff’s office as they conduct their search,” said Weiler.
Dev Sinha, a fellow mathematics professor, expressed his hope that Xu would be found soon.
“He’s very kind and a very dedicated professor,” Sinha said.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone with information call their dispatch line at 682-4141.
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UO professor missing since Sunday hike
Daily Emerald
November 6, 2007
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