31-year-old presumed deceased near Bridge in Biggs Junction
The Sam Hill Bridge at Biggs Junction, 20 miles east of The Dalles
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 25, 2024 — A Vancouver, Wash., man is presumed deceased after Oregon State Police saw him jump from the 75-foot Sam Hill Bridge at Bigg’s Junction on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Editor’s Note - The events leading up to Thursday’s call for help are a stark reminder that suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and is a serious public health issue. I know. I lost my brother to suicide in 2016. If you are considering taking your life, please don’t. There is help for you. Please tell someone how you are feeling. Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
And, If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide:
• Do not leave the person alone
• Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt
• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988
• Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
Oregon State Police (OSP) were called when the driver of a semi truck stopped his vehicle on the bridge and climbed above the bridges deck on the steel girders to its highest point shortly after 9 a.m.
OSP Lt. Jason Calloway said the 31-year-old climbed to the very top of the truss bridge where he sat down. He said Troopers could not reach the man on his cell phone but he did speak to Troopers who were on site yelling up to him from the bridge deck.
“He refused to come down,” Calloway said and then Troopers saw him jump from the bridge several minutes later.
Multiple agencies deployed for water rescue, he said, noting four boats on the Columbia River did not locate the man as his body did not surface.
Sherman County Undersheriff James Burgett was leading the water recovery on Thursday.
Calls to the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office have yet to be returned. CCCNews will update this story if new information becomes available on the recovery.
The man was identified as Michael J. Kahoekapu-Cruz, 31, of Vancouver, Wash.
