PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A young couple was attacked in their home in rural Oregon earlier this month, leaving the wife severely injured and the husband dead.
Travis and Jamilyn Juetten were attacked in their home around 3 a.m. on August 13, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. Travis, 26, died from multiple stab wounds.
Jamilyn, 24, was stabbed 19 times and has a long and emotional road to recovery, said Alain Leon, the couple’s close friend.
“He saved her life,” Leon told NewsNation affiliate KOIN. “He protected her from the attacker.”
Leon went to high school with Travis in California and stayed close with him even after college.
“I was there when he met Jamilyn online,” he said.
The love story between Travis and Jamilyn blossomed into much more as time went on, he said. Leon was the best man at their wedding, and he said the two were so close he didn’t even think of them as two separate people, but as one.
“Travis and Jamilyn found each other, and it’s really sad that story had to end,” he said.
Detectives say an intruder came into the couple’s home near and attacked them.
Leon said a masked man went into the couple’s bedroom while they were sleeping. He said Travis went to fight the man and Jamilyn tried to help him. The couple was supposed to go to Hawaii the next day, he said, adding another person who was going to cat-sit for them was asleep in another room, heard the noise and likely scared the intruder off, then called 911.
“She’s in the hospital. She was stabbed 19 times and her hand was; she’s really into pottery, and I’m worried about her ability to do that,” he said. “One of her hands, the muscle was severed, so she can’t do this with her fingers. They are hoping to be able to reconnect it.”
Friends set up a GoFundMe page to help with Jamilyn’s recovery.
There is no information about a possible suspect. However, crime Stoppers of Oregon is offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest in any unsolved felony crime.
Travis Juetten’s family released a statement Friday afternoon:
“Our family is grieving the loss of our son, nephew, brother, and friend Travis Juetten, age 26, whose life was brutally cut short the morning of August 13th by an unknown assailant who murdered him inside his home. His wife Jamilyn was seriously injured and is recovering in the hospital. Travis was a kind, gentle, and loving person who did not deserve to lose his life and for reasons unknown to any of us. While we grieve Travis’s loss and wish for Jamilyn’s health, we continue to be concerned for the safety of our family, friends, and neighbors. If you have any information that could be of assistance, please contact Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Your help is greatly appreciated.”