Sheriff’s office identifies man who died at Dillon Falls on Tuesday as Maximillian Zelaya

Published 10:51 am Thursday, August 25, 2022

The man who died while floating over Dillon Falls in an inner tube Tuesday has been identified as Maximillian Zelaya, 41, of Bend.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office identified Zelaya on Thursday morning.

Zelaya was floating above Dillon Falls on Tuesday with a friend, the sheriff’s office said. The river current played major factor, said Sgt. Jayson Janes, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. He said Zelaya’s friend was able to swim to safety before reaching the top of the falls. 

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., a 911 caller reported a man in a tube had gone over the falls about 30 minutes earlier. The caller had not seen him resurface.

The sheriff’s office, the U.S. Forest Service and Bend Fire & Rescue responded to Dillon Falls, and deputies used a drone to find Zelaya’s body in the water below the falls. The sheriff’s office search and rescue team retrieved Zelaya via boat and moved him to the Aspen Camp Boat Launch.

Janes said Thursday, to his knowledge, alcohol wasn’t a factor.

Dillon Falls, located on the Deschutes River southwest of Bend, is a 15-foot waterfall followed by Class 5 whitewater rapids.

In 2018, a popular blind athlete from Bend, Nancy Stevens, and her father lost control of their canoe in the waters above Dillon Falls resulting in her father’s death. His was the last known death at Dillon Falls before Tuesday.