HUMAN REMAINS LOCATED SOUTH OF BEND; INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

Deschutes Co. Sheriff's Office

On February 17, 2020, at approximately 3:51pm, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) were dispatched to a report of human remains that had been located on U.S. Forest Service land approximately one half mile south of the Deschutes River Woods area.  An individual hiking in the area made the discovery and reported the information to Deschutes County 911.

Deputies and DCSO detectives arrived at the location and confirmed the discovery of human skeletal remains.  Deputies and detectives have worked since then, assisted by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Medical Examiner, and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab, to document, collect evidence, and recover the remains.   A State Forensic Anthropologist will conduct an examination of the skeletal remains in an attempt to determine identity and cause of death.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. 

Special units include SWAT, Street Crimes, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves the nearly 190,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 230 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 187 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.