Kayakers discover body as they visit island to take photos, Oregon cops say
UPDATE: The body was identified as 33-year-old Derek Slesinger of Newark, Delaware, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sept. 4 news release. He was one of three people who died July 19 being swept over Dillon Falls. He was missing for nearly a month.
The original story is below.
Two kayakers stopped to snap photos on a river island and discovered a body in central Oregon, deputies said.
The kayakers reported it to authorities at about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at Lava Island Falls near Bend, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Lava Island Falls is on the Deschutes River, and it’s filled with rushing whitewater rapids that are recommended for expert kayakers.
Deputies said the body was found in an area of the river that is “extremely difficult to access,” estimating it would take about five hours to recover it.
Authorities said the body’s identity isn’t known, and won’t be until a medical examiner makes an identification.
“Please avoid the area and allow first responders the space to complete this complex recovery,” deputies said.
Lava Island Falls is downstream from Dillon Falls, a waterfall with a 15-foot drop that “almost immediately turns into churning rapids in a quick, step ladder-like pattern,” according to Visit Central Oregon.
Six people were swept over Dillon Falls on July 19, McClatchy News reported. Three people were rescued from the water and two people were found dead.
Authorities have been searching for the last person since.
But they can’t confirm if the body belongs to the missing person.
“There are several possibilities for how someone could end up in the river, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to speculate or try to connect this recovery to any specific case,” Jason Carr, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told McClatchy News by email.
Carr said more information can be shared once there’s an identification and the person’s family has been notified.
Lava Island Falls is about an 8-mile drive southwest from Bend.
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Kayakers discover body as they visit island to take photos, Oregon cops say."
