Man vanishes after jumping into river to help struggling swimmer, Oregon cops say

UPDATE: Multnomah County deputies found a body in the Columbia River at 7:30 p.m. local time Monday, July 4, KOIN reported. The medical examiner’s office will identify the body.

A man who jumped into the Columbia River to try to help a woman struggling to swim never resurfaced, Oregon officials reported.

The woman made it safely to shore but the man remains missing following the 5:15 p.m. Sunday, June 26, incident, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Sheriff’s deputies, Portland firefighters and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter searched for the man near the west end of Lemon Island using underwater scanning technology, the release said.

On Monday, June 27, sheriff’s officials identified the missing man as Kevin McDowell, 35, of Portland.

He is presumed drowned, sheriff’s officials said. He was not wearing a life jacket.

This story was originally published June 27, 2022 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Man vanishes after jumping into river to help struggling swimmer, Oregon cops say."