The mother of a teen suspected in a near-fatal attack on a cross country skier in the Columbia River Gorge says she fears for her son's safety and hopes he will break away from his father and turn himself in.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 33-year-old Michael Collins and 16-year-old Teven Collins after police say they beat Robert Tracey with a wooden club, leaving him near death and stealing his car at a campground in the Gorge on February 9.

A West Coast manhunt has been initiated for the father and son, both from the Vancouver area. Deputies believe they may have traveled out of Oregon and are somewhere in the Southwest.

Mom fears for son's safety

On Friday the teen's mother, Anna Logan, expressed her sympathy for the ordeal endured by Tracey, and worried for her son.

"We are in fear of Mike involving Teven in anything else," Logan wrote. "We believe Teven's life would become forfeit if he became a liability or angered Mike in any way."

Logan wrote that she hoped Teven would break away from his dad and urged him to turn himself in to authorities.

Feds track movement of father and son

Tracey's vehicle, checkbook, wallet and several credit cards were stolen in the attack, according to Skamania County authorities. Court records suggest the pair used Tracey's Visa card in Washington, Madras, Ore., and Lathrop, Calif.

Police believe the suspects may also be traveling in Tracey’s 1998 black Ford Explorer SUV. The vehicle had Washington registration and plates at the time it was carjacked. The plate numbers were 455-YHY.

Victim was out for a day ski

Tracey told KGW he was approached Monday, Feb. 9, in the parking lot of the Dougan Creek Campground by two men asking for directions.

After providing directions to one of the men, Tracey said they responded, “…very matter of factly, ‘We need your car.’”

“I just flipped him the key and kind of said, 'You guys just go your own way,'" Tracey said.

But that was not enough. Tracey said one of the men then told him they could not afford to leave a witness and needed to kill him. 

“I tried to put some distance and maybe made it 50 yards or so away and he said, ‘No, we really do have to kill you,’” Tracey recalled.  

He said the two men proceeded to punch him in the face and hit him in the head. He was struck repeatedly, strangled with a rope and dragged into a wooded area, according to an affidavit.

As Michael Collins beat Tracey and attempted to kill him, Teven Collins encouraged the assault, telling his father to "Get him," the arrest affidavit said.

At some point he passed out, Tracey told police.

Tracey believes he was unconscious approximately two hours. When he awoke, he said he was lying face-down in the snow. 

Skier left to die in snow

Fearing his attackers would return, Robert Tracey crawled toward the banks of the Washougal River. 

“I crawled down in there and then just kind of weaved in and out of the brush and in and out of the ferns trying to stay hidden,” he said.

Bleeding profusely and enduring temperatures in the low 40s, Tracey waited. Hours passed before he was found by three hikers. Tracey was taken to the Southwest Washington Medical center in Vancouver for treatment.

Suspects needed a ride out

Authorities believe the father and son were dropped off at the Dougan Falls campground on Feb. 2, according to testimony from a man arrested by U.S. Marshals. They had been camping in the area prior to the assault; after several days in the cold they may have been seeking a way to leave the area, investigators believe. They had even left a hand-drawn map of Dougan Falls with relatives, according to a police report.

Son ran away with dad months ago

Teven Collins' mother, Anna Logan, told KGW she had full custody of him and that her son had not seen his birth father, Michael, since he was 7.

Logan said the two reconnected on MySpace. She called Michael Collins "abusive" and a "sex offender," and said she had pleaded with his parole officer to keep the two away from each other.

Logan filed a runaway report with authorities after Teven took off with his father.

Teven Collins updated his MySpace page on Feb. 1, indicating he was no longer in the Vancouver-Portland Metro Area and was now in California. Another area of his personal webpage indicated he could be in New Mexico.

Material witnesses detained

Vancouver police announced Thursday that two "material witnesses" in the case were in custody at Skamania County Jail. Dania Whalen and Nathan Davis, two 18-year-old Vancouver residents, were believed to have information relevant to the attempted murder and carjacking of Robert Tracey, 52, last week.

Suspects considered dangerous

Michael Collins is a sex offender with an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to meet his requirements to register.

Police consider them armed and dangerous.

Skamania County Detectives are asking people who may have information in this case to contact them at (509) 427-9490.

By ERIC ADAMS and SCOTT BURTON, kgw.com