Man dies after going over Upper Deschutes River's Dillon Falls in inner tube
Zach Urness
Accident Date - August 23, 2022
Salem, Oregon Statesman Journal
A man who officials say went over Dillon Falls in a tube was found dead on Tuesday, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. The man who died while floating over Dillon Falls in an inner tube Tuesday has been identified as Maximillian Zelaya, 41, of Bend.
The Sheriff's Office got a 911 call at 5:25 p.m. that "a male in a tube had gone over the falls 30-35 minutes prior to the call and bystanders had not been able to locate the male," according to a news release. The male's identity is not being released at this time, officials said.
Dillon Falls, about 10 miles south of Bend, is a short but powerful rapid (Class IV+) on the Upper Deschutes River that is considered expert level for kayakers. Search and rescue teams arrived and at 6:19 p.m. a deputy operating a drone located the male's body in the Deschutes River just below Dillon Falls, officials said.
"Bend Fire and Rescue located the male's body and removed him from the river," the news release said. "Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue responded with a motorized boat and transported the deceased subject down to the Aspen Camp Boat Launch."
Deputies identified the victim as Maximillian Zelaya.
