FILE - A sign warns river users of nearby danger at the Dillon Falls boat ramp in Deschutes County, Ore. on July 29, 2025.
Kathryn Styer Martínez / OPB
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said it has recovered the remains of the final missing person who went over Dillon Falls earlier this summer.
Derek Slesinger, 33, was visiting Central Oregon from Delaware. He was floating the Deschutes River with five other people on July 19 when they missed the take-out point above the falls. Three people were able to escape the river before going over the Class 5 rapids, but the other three were not.
Amanda Loyd, 39, of Texas and Lindsay Bashan, 33, of Florida, were unable to escape and, along with Slesinger, fell victim to the rapids. Loyd and Bashan’s bodies were recovered from the river soon after, but it took almost seven weeks for Deschutes County Search and Rescue teams to recover Slesinger’s remains.
His body was found near Lava Island Falls on Aug. 21 by two kayakers who were exploring the area, according to a press release issued Thursday by the sheriff’s office.
“Search and Rescue teams, assisted by Bend Fire & Rescue, conducted a complex recovery operation in an inaccessible area with swift water that took about five hours to complete,” read the press release.
Slesinger’s mother, Diana Adames, released a statement through the sheriff’s office, thanking the agencies that helped find her son and members of the Central Oregon community for their kindness and support.
“What matters is that I can finally bring my son home, let him rest in peace, and close this chapter,” Adames said in the sheriff’s press release. “Please know that my gratitude to this community, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, its Search & Rescue teams, and everyone who stood by me is heartfelt and will remain with me forever.”
Adames asked for privacy as the family brings her son home to rest.
