Toddler Dane Paulsen Found Deceased in Oregon River
Volunteer diver Juan Heredia from the Angels Recovery Dive Team has successfully recovered the body of the toddler from the Siletz River.
The tragic search for a two-year-old who disappeared on March 1 concluded on March 11 when his lifeless body was discovered six feet beneath the surface of an Oregon river.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), a volunteer diver located Dane Paulsen’s body at 11:13 a.m. in the Siletz River, situated three miles from the boy’s family home.
Various rescue teams utilized drones, dogs, and boats while fire and police agencies assisted the LCSO in conducting a systematic ground search and deploying thermal imaging technology in the area.
A vehicle of interest—a late 1990s gold station wagon—had reportedly been spotted near the location where the toddler was last seen playing outside. However, Shanks mentioned earlier that there was no evidence connecting the vehicle to Paulsen’s disappearance.
Although LCSO divers searched the river thoroughly, it was Juan Heredia, 52, from the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team, who ultimately discovered the toddler, positioned against a tree trunk underwater.
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“If I hadn’t found him, that boy would have been underwater for another week due to the cold water keeping his body submerged,” Heredia shared with NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister outlet, on March 12. “The cold temperature inhibited his body from rising to the surface.”
The search for 2-year-old Dane Paulsen on March 5, 2025. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office
Heredia, originally from Argentina, offered his diving expertise to the Paulsen family and was guided to the river by a local resident.
Wearing a scuba suit, Heredia prayed, donned his mask, then took a deep breath and submerged without any additional equipment, where he encountered the boy’s face.
“There were no marks or injuries on him. He was a perfectly beautiful baby,” Heredia recalled tearfully in a phone interview with NTD.
Paulsen became the eighth body that Heredia has retrieved since he took on the task of locating human remains a year ago, and he was the youngest victim to date.
Having been a lifeguard in his youth, Heredia relies on his faith in God and time spent with his wife, Mercedes, and their two children to cope with the losses he faces as a volunteer diver.
Juan Heredia, who found the body of 2-year-old Dane Paulsen on March 11, 2025. Courtesy of Angels Recovery Dive Team
“I just want to go home and hug my kids,” Heredia expressed as he drove back to California from Oregon.
LCSO investigators are in the process of examining the site.
“The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is collaborating with the Lincoln County Medical Examiner’s Office,” the social media post noted on March 11. “As is customary in ongoing investigations, further details will remain confidential at this time. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office extends its heartfelt sympathies to Dane’s family and loved ones. This loss resonates throughout the community, and we stand together with those mourning this tragic event.”
A press conference by the LCSO is scheduled for March 13 at 12:30 p.m. at the Siletz Valley Grange Hall in Siletz.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
