Every camper's worst nightmare happened to two women, and they lived to tell about it. Now, the man accused of cutting open their tent, forcing them out, and binding them faces trial.
Gene Arnold McLenithan, 58, allegedly kidnapped the women around midnight on July 4, 2024, from a public hiking trail in Tillamook County, Ore., the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Oregon said in a statement.
Investigators allege McLenithan "bound the victims [and] covered their eyes." Throughout the ordeal, the suspect had a bag of razor-sharp knives and threatened them with sexual assault, police said.
But they turned the tables, and escaped. How they did it is something police have not yet revealed.
And now police are wondering if there are more victims.
Investigators put out a statement saying, "If you have any reason to believe you or someone you know may be a victim or have additional information about other potential crimes involving McLenithan, please contact the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov."
Gene Arnold McLenithan, of Salem, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with kidnapping and attempted abusive sexual contact in Tillamook County. The victims were assaulted in their tent overnight near a public hiking trail. McLenithan allegedly bound his victims and… pic.twitter.com/gIMo5VabFP
— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) May 29, 2026
McLenithan was previously convicted in 2000 of sodomy and burglary for a May 1999 attack in Otis.
