A homicide investigation is underway in rural Gold Hill following the death of a Shady Cove man near Interstate 5 on Thursday morning. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that detectives are leading the investigation and that a suspect has been arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail.
According to law enforcement reports, the incident began shortly after 8:00 a.m. when Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon received multiple 911 calls about an injured man trying to flag down passing vehicles on the southbound side of Interstate 5 near mile marker 42.5. Deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and paramedics from Jackson County Fire District No. 1 responded to the scene, where they found the victim suffering from severe injuries. Despite attempts to provide lifesaving measures, the man was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 8:36 a.m.
The victim has been identified as 47-year-old Steven Jason Worthington of Shady Cove. His next of kin has been notified, and authorities have expressed condolences to his family and friends. The area near Old Stage Road and Galls Creek Road, just outside Gold Hill, was quickly cordoned off as investigators began processing the scene.
A coordinated effort between multiple law enforcement agencies followed, including Oregon State Police, Rogue River Police Department, and members of the Jackson County Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit, known as MADIU. Officers conducted an extensive search for both the suspect and a vehicle believed to be connected to the crime.
At approximately 10:00 a.m., dispatchers received another call, this time about a suspicious person spotted in the 1000 block of Galls Creek Road. Detectives and deputies from the Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and identified the individual as the suspect involved in the earlier homicide. The suspect, 34-year-old Michael Lloyd Balestra Jr. of Gold Hill, was taken into custody without further incident.
Balestra faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, unlawful use of a weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and felon in possession of a firearm. He remains lodged at the Jackson County Jail pending court proceedings.
Traffic along Interstate 5 southbound was restricted to a single lane near the scene for several hours during the initial investigation but has since been fully reopened. The intersection of Old Stage Road and Galls Creek Road was also temporarily closed while investigators from the Oregon State Police Crime Lab processed evidence and conducted forensic work.
The Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit assisting in this case includes personnel from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Department, Central Point Police Department, Ashland Police Department, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities have stated that there is no ongoing threat to the public and that no additional information will be released until further developments occur in the investigation.