Authorities recover body in drowning in the John Day River near Cordwood Canyon

Information and photos from Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office:

Gilliam County, Ore., July 21, 2023 - On July 15 at approximately 8:23 pm, Frontier Regional 9-1-1 received a 9-1-1 text message indicating a rafter on the John Day River had drowned in the area of Cordwood Canyon (river mile 78).

Area of the John Day River where the search was conducted.

Resources from Gilliam County Sheriff's Office, South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District, Wheeler County Sheriff's Office, Sherman County Sheriff's Office, and the Oregon State Police began searching for access points in the area of the reported incident as well as figuring out the best vehicles to access the area being watercraft or off-road vehicles.

Due to nightfall and the treacherous terrain, a decision was made to delay the mission for personnel safety at around 10:00 pm. Multiple members continued searching for alternative routes to access the river via mapping software, as well as air assets to assist.

On July 16th at approximately 5:00 am, a GCSO Deputy, 3 GCSO Search and Rescue members, and 2 Wildlife Troopers gathered multiple off-road vehicles and equipment needed for the mission and responded towards the river. With assistance from a local landowner, they granted our resources access to the John Day River through their property.

At around 10:00 am, our first responders met with the rafters in the area of Horseshoe Bend and recovered the rafter. Next of kin was notified and the deceased subject was transported to a funeral home.

Out of respect for the family and friends of the rafter, a name will not be published in this release. We would like to thank all of our agency partners including the State Medical Examiner's Office and local property owners for their assistance with this unfortunate incident. No additional information will be released.