Johnathan Croom, an 18-year-old Arizona student who went missing last week, was found dead in Oregon on Monday according to officials.
Croom, was located by officials about 1,000 feet away from where his car was parked in Riddle, a town of just 1,200 people near Interstate 5. Authorities are investigating his death as a suicide and no further details have been provided, Oregon Live reported.
His father, David Croom, said his son borrowed the car to visit a friend in Washington and was supposed to start college next week. The Apache Junction resident last spoke with relatives the week of Aug. 17. Based off of conversations he had with his parents, police think that he may have wanted to run away.
Croom reportedly spoke with his parents about Christopher McCandless, an American hiker who went missing in the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. His story was adapted into a book, "Into the Wild," which was made into a movie in 2007.
Earlier this year, Dustin Self, a 19-year-old from Oklahoma, disappeared in Oregon after speaking to his parents about McCandless and the book as well. His truck was found in April.
The Huffington Post said Croom sent text messages to a friend indicating that he wanted to run away.
"I think we have kind of a combination there," said Dwes Hutson, spokesman for the Douglas County sheriff. "He talked with his parents about 'Into the Wild,' and in text messages we've looked at, he does specifically talk about running away, kind of just running away from his life."
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, David Croom said his son was upset after ending a relationship and "headed out to try and find himself."
Hutson said more information regarding Croom's death would be released Monday night.
