Unidentified female swimmer dies

Unresponsive woman found floating in the McKenzie River

A 911 call was received from a witness at 00:02 a.m. on Friday who observed a conscious person floating down the McKenzie River. The caller reported the person was swimming on their back, without a life jacket, and not responding to hails from witnesses on shore.

Eugene Springfield Fire and Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue launched watercraft to locate the victim. The Eugene Springfield Fire watercraft located an unconscious and unresponsive female floating in the river about ½ mile downstream from Hayden Bridge.

The victim was brought into the boat and CPR was initiated. She was transported by boat to the Harvest Boat Landing and then by ambulance to Riverbend Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office and the medical examiner are investigating the cause and manner of death.