Canoer lost on the Willamette River identified as Eugene man, 36, presumed drowned
Update: The story has been updated with the canoer's identity, which authorities released Monday
The man who flipped his canoe and is presumed to have drowned in the Willamette River on Saturday was identified Monday by the Lane County Sheriff's Office as Justin Leroy Grossman, a 36-year-old Eugene resident.
A release from Lt. Thomas Speldrich said search and rescue crews continue looking for Grossman's body as of Monday.
Grossman had reportedly been camping on an island and was using the canoe to commute to and from it, when the boat capsized near the Owosso Bike Bridge, Speldrich said.
"The male had been seen struggling in the water before slipping beneath the surface," Speldrich said. "Searchers saturated the area but were unable to find him."
The Eugene Springfield Fire Department turned the search effort over to the Sheriff's Office after assisting with the search initially on Saturday. Emergency personnel responded to the water rescue at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Rescue teams searched the river around Marist Catholic High School and could only find the flipped canoe and not the person in it, according to Eugene Springfield Fire Deputy Chief of Operations Mike Caven.
More:Update: Searchers find body of Eugene kayaker Mariana Dukes, who went missing on Long Tom River
This has been a deadly spring for area boaters.
Several bodies have been recovered from rivers and lakes throughout Lane County over the past two weeks, including two Eugene kayakers who died in the Long Tom River.
Due to the recent heavy rains, Lane County's rivers have been rising quickly and are moving at a much faster pace, making them hazardous to boaters and kayakers. Bowman said he recommends people avoid going into the county's rivers due to current conditions.
"I would stay off of the rivers entirely, and if anyone goes on the lakes, be aware there are strong currents, even on the lakes right now," he said.
Caven said water levels are "quite a bit" higher than normal for this time of year, and said area residents should be wary of entering.
"The water is higher, faster, colder, and there's more chances for hazards to be washed in," Caven said. "It's not at flood stages, but it's high, so currents are going to be different, and your ability to rescue yourself if things go sideways is lower."
The dangerous water conditions have also limited search operations for the missing canoer, Bowman said, with stronger currents making it harder to send boats out to search.
The Sheriff's Office asked that anyone with information about the Grossman case to contact them at 541-682-4150 and option 1.
Reporter Louis Krauss contributed to this article.
Contact reporter Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@registerguard.com. Follow on Twitter @DuvernayOR
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Police identify canoer believed drowned as Justin Leroy Grossman
