Two people are dead and a third is still missing after a group floating the Deschutes River missed a final takeout and went over the rapids at Dillon Falls on Saturday.
“What we know at this point is that there was a party of six people that were floating the Deschutes River above Dillon Falls and they essentially missed the last takeout point before the rapids and the water got swift,” said Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jason Carr. “I don’t know where the survivors specifically got out, but they they did somehow manage to survive.”
Following the discovery of a second woman’s body below the falls on Monday morning at 11 a.m., Carr confirmed in a news release that the only person still missing is a man from the group. The identities of the survivors, two deceased women and the missing man, are not being released at this time.
Carr also could not confirm yet what kind of watercraft the group was using.
“The survivors were so distraught that they detectives didn’t get a lot of good information,” Carr said.
Operations shifted to recovery rather than rescue after the first deceased was found and the three survivors were located on Saturday, Carr said. Involved in the ongoing effort are two drones deployed by the Bend Police Department, three cadaver dogs from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and 15 swift water rescue team members from Search and Rescue who are physically searching the area.
“Search and Rescue is feeling somewhat optimistic about locating the bodies just in terms of the searching and mapping they did yesterday,” Carr told The Bulletin before the second body was found Monday morning. “I think today will indicate next steps. If the bodies aren’t located today, I’m sure there’s going to be a change in tactics.”
Dillon Falls is a 15-foot waterfall followed by Class 5 whitewater rapids. Although some people float the section above the falls in inner tubes, the whitewater section is considered dangerous to all but experts.
In 2022, Maximillian Zelaya, 41, died while floating over Dillon Falls in an inner tube. 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.
