By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/YachatsNews
SILETZ — Two days after his body was found in the Siletz River, officials confirmed Thursday that 2-year-old Dane Paulsen died of drowning and had no other injuries.
The boy was reported missing March 1 from the front yard of his family home that sits about 100 feet from the Siletz River, launching a vast search effort that included more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and hundreds of volunteers.
The search covered 14 miles of the Siletz River by boat and hundreds of acres on foot. Divers searched two miles downstream of the family’s home, law enforcement officials said at a Thursday press conference.
The search included the family’s home, yard, neighboring properties, nearby roads, rough terrain forested areas and portions of the Siletz River and its banks. Aerial drones with thermal imaging were also used to widen the search.
After searching the land for days, officials shifted their focus to the river March 4 after dogs tracked Dane’s scent to the river and searchers found shoe prints on the river’s edge three days after he was reported missing, officials said Thursday.
The search came to a conclusion Tuesday, when Juan Heredia, founder of the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team of Stockton, Calif., found Dane in six feet of water after a two-hour search.
“Juan is the embodiment of the same spirit of service that has humbled us over our 10-day operation, his compassion for others, his willingness to give of himself to our community, is what helps bring closure to Dane’s family,” said Sgt. Nick Vaille.
Dane was found three miles downstream of the family’s home in an area that had previously been searched on the surface by law enforcement and volunteers, Sheriff Adam Shanks said.
The sheriff’s office and other agencies conducted dive operations March 3-4, two days after Dane’s disappearance. During that time, 22 divers from multiple sheriff’s offices and search and rescue teams searched about two miles of the river, Shanks said, which was thought to be the highest probable area Dane could be based on factors such as river height and speed.
Heredia found Dane about a mile from the sheriff office’s most recent dive operation, Vaille said.
An autopsy Wednesday by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Dane’s cause of death was drowning and that there was no additional trauma to his body. No criminal charges have been filed, although the Lincoln County district attorney’s office will review the case, Vaille said, which is standard for death investigations.
“Dane’s disappearance has been absolutely heartbreaking,” Shanks said. “Recovering the body has given his family some closure and answers, but I know the grief and processing of this tragedy is ongoing and will be overwhelmingly difficult.”
Dane’s parents, Chamet Jackson and Aaron Paulsen, own The Chowder Bowl in Depoe Bay.
The Chowder Bowl in Newport, which is not affiliated with the restaurant in Depoe Bay, will donate half of its gross sales Friday, March 14 to the family. Friends and relatives have also set up a GoFundMe account for the family.
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for YachatsNews and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org
