Missing Arizona Teen Inspired by 'Into the Wild' Found Dead in Oregon

An 18-year-old Arizona teenage boy has been found dead after having gone missing for over a week. His parents believe he was inspired to disappear after reading the popular book "Into the Wild" and after suffering a heartbreak from someone he loved dearly back in Arizona.

The body of Johnathan Croom, 18, was found Monday evening about 1,000 feet from where his vehicle was found abandoned last week, Douglas County sheriff's spokesman Dwes Hutson said in a statement. Croom's death is being investigated as a suicide.

The teen's father, David Croom, initially suspected his son had walked off into the rough terrain to seek an adventure much like Christopher McCandless, who starved to death in the Alaska wilderness in 1992.

The protagonist of "Into the Wild" inspired the 2007 movie with the same title.

"He was a young man who had a broken heart and headed out to try to find himself," David Croom said. "We're looking forward to finding out exactly what happened."

He thanked everyone who helped search for his son and added, "Please pray for our family."

The father said he had no specifics on a cause of death. 

According to the New York Daily Times, Johnathan Croom had sent text messages to a friend suggesting he wanted to run away.

"I think we have a combination there," said Dwes Hutson, spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, before Croom's body was found. "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."

CORRECTION: A previous version of the article incorrectly said the book was "Wild at Heart" in the article title, instead of "Into the Wild."