Two people missing after they were swept over Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River on Saturday are presumed dead, Jason Carr, a spokesperson for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
Six people were floating the Deschutes River on Saturday afternoon when they missed the chance to exit the river before the waterfall, Carr said. Three people were rescued from the river, one person was found dead and two are still missing. None have been identified yet by the sheriff’s office.
Carr couldn’t immediately say whether all six members of the group went over the falls or whether the three survivors managed to exit the river before they hit the 15-foot drop, which is followed by violent rapids.
“If you go through those falls, the chances of you surviving are extremely minimal,” Carr said. At least two other people have died at the falls since 2018.
Floaters often follow the Deschutes from the mountains toward Bend, Carr said. There are warning signs along the river about the approaching falls, he said, and the Dillon Falls day use area is where floaters exit the river. The falls begin immediately around the next bend, he said.
“It appears at this point they obviously did not see or recognize or know that there were falls around the corner,” Carr said.
Carr could not immediately specify whether the floaters were local to the Bend area or visiting from out of town. The three survivors were scraped and bruised but able to walk on their own after they were rescued on Saturday, Carr said.
Search and rescue teams combed the river with boats, dogs and drones on Sunday searching for the missing floaters, Carr said. If the bodies of the missing floaters are not found on Sunday, Carr said, the search will continue into the week.
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