Kayak recovered, kayaker remains missing as search over Willamette River continues

OREGON CITY, Ore. (KATU) — Search and rescue operations resumed Sunday morning for a kayaker who went missing after being seen going over Willamette Falls late Saturday night.

At around 10:52 p.m. on April 12, multiple 911 callers reported a kayaker in distress on the Willamette River, just upstream of the falls.

Witnesses stated that the individual, described as a lone adult male, went over the falls and did not resurface.

Around 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard located the missing kayaker's blue hard-shell kayak, which was then recovered by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.

Despite extensive efforts, the man has not yet been found. His identity is being withheld awaiting further developments.

Emergency responders from the Clackamas County Water Rescue Consortium, which includes Clackamas Fire District #1, Lake Oswego Fire Department, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, launched a coordinated search effort shortly after.

The search was supported by additional crews from the Sheriff’s Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon City Police Department, and the West Linn Police Department.

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Aerial support was provided by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane from the Portland Police Bureau.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office will release additional updates as they become available.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 503-723-4949 or use the online email form at clackamas.us/sheriff/tip.