Hood River Man still Missing After Kayak Found Adrift With Motor Running
Photo courtesy the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office
Hood River, Ore, Oct. 2, 2026 — A Hood River man beleived to be drowned after his fishing kayak of was found adrift on the Columbia River, its trolling motor still running, remained missing this afternoon, according to authorities at the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.
The kayak was discovered Thursday afternoon near the end of a sandbar near the confluence of the Hood and Columbia rivers, setting off a search for David Kalousdian, a Hood River man who is now presumed deceased, according to the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said it received multiple reports at approximately 2:08 p.m. Oct. 1 of a small boat adrift near the sandbar. A short time later, Marine Patrol located the fishing kayak, with its trolling motor still running.
Authorities immediately began searching the surrounding area for the kayak's owner.
The search brought together the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and aircraft, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Police and the Hood River Police Department.
Kalousdian was later identified as the owner of the kayak. He was not found during the search.
By approximately 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, the sheriff’s office said the mission had shifted from a search to a recovery operation and that Kalousdian was presumed deceased.
The circumstances of his disappearance remained unclear Friday. Authorities have not publicly said when Kalousdian was last seen, whether anyone witnessed him enter the water, or what caused him to become separated from the kayak.
The image left behind was an unsettling one: a fishing kayak continuing to drift on the Columbia, its motor running, while the person who had been operating it was missing.
The sheriff’s office said recovery efforts would continue. As of the latest reports, Kalousdian’s body had not been located.
Sgt. Eric Wahler, public information officer for the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, is handling inquiries about the incident. CCCNews will provide follow up information when it becomes available.
