Washington State Toddler Tragically Drowns In Columbia River

At 9:11 on the morning of June 7th, the call that no family member wants to make had to be made.  That Saturday morning, near the Columbia River Hotel and Conference Center in The Dalles, OR, a 3 year-old toddler went missing.  A 9-1-1 call was made and multiple agencies responded.

Officers from City of The Dalles, Wasco County Sheriff's Office, Intertribal Police and Oregon State Police responded to the area and began to search for the toddler.  Family members also joined in the search for the child.

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How Did The Child Disappear?

According to information received by authorities, the family was visiting the area from Washington State.  At some point, the child left the room and got outside of the hotel without being noticed.  It hasn't been disclosed how much time passed from when the child left the room to when the 9-1-1 call was made.

The search began within minutes of the 9-1-1 call being received.  The child was found in the Columbia River near the Oregon Shoreline and taken to Adventist Health Columbia Gorge Hospital.  Life saving efforts were performed on the 3 year-old but were unsuccessful.  Because of the nature of the child's death, The Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team is conducting an investigation.

The City of Dalles PD sent their condolences to the family via social media.  Portland's KGW8 had a statement from the family that was released Monday.

Our child was quick, strong, fearless and happy," they said, in part. "The tragedy that our family is facing does not need to hear the negative comments of what or how this happened. It happened and we are dealing with our loss the best that we can ... Please respect the privacy of our family as we are not ready to make any official statements as to the how’s or why’s.

The "how's and why's" may come to light once the Major Crimes Team's investigation is complete.