Update: JCSO states the owner of the kayak has been located and is safe.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Marine Deputies and Search and Rescue (SAR) responded to an unmanned kayak in the Rogue River on the entrance to the Natural Bridge, outside of Prospect. Deputies are attempting to determine the owner of the kayak to ensure there is no one missing.
Yesterday at 4:26 p.m. a caller reported a kayak flipped over in the water near the Natural Bridge campground. The caller never saw a person with the kayak so it is unclear at this time if anyone is missing. The kayak is located on top of the suck hole where the river goes under the rocks at Natural Bridge. The kayak is light blue, approximately 7-feet long, with a sit on top. This is not the type of kayak usually associated with this section of the Rogue River.
Due to the emergent nature of the call and hazardous terrain along the river, a helicopter searched the river between Union Creek and Prospect twice and nothing out of place was noted. SAR personnel visited area campgrounds, cabins, and parking lots and no one was seeking help or reported missing, and no unaccounted for vehicles were located.
If you know the owner of the kayak, call ECSO dispatch non-emergency number at (541) 776-7206.
Source: JCSO
