Police seek help in pedestrian fatality near Madras
Police seeking eye witness information regarding Madras man that was struck and killed on Highway 97 on Saturday, Jan. 10.
Jefferson County, Ore., Jan. 12, 2026 — Oregon State Police are asking for the public’s help as they continue investigating a fatal vehicle-pedestrian crash that occurred Saturday on U.S. Highway 97 in Jefferson County.
The crash occurred between 11:30 and 11:45 a.m. near milepost 101, just south of Madras. According to Oregon State Police, a preliminary investigation found that a silver Ford Explorer, driven by James Edwin Legore, 63, of Sandy, Utah, was parked on the shoulder of the roadway and began merging back into the northbound lanes when it struck a pedestrian.
The pedestrian, identified as Jared Elijah Cooper, 38, of Madras, was declared dead at the scene. Cooper was associated with a gray or aluminum Dodge Grand Caravan that was parked at the crash location.
Legore was not injured, police said.
Investigators are seeking witnesses and any information related to the vehicles involved, including their movements prior to and at the time of the crash. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Highway 97 was impacted for approximately five hours while the crash was investigated.
Anyone with information is asked to contact OSP’s Northern Command Dispatch Center at 800-442-0776 or by dialing *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone and reference case number SP26-010591.
The investigation was assisted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
