An 18-year-old Portland resident drowned in the Columbia River near Sauvie Island Wednesday evening.
Jonathan James Walker was swimming with friends at Walton Beach when he went missing. He was with a group of friends on a boat anchored about 30 feet from shore, according to a Multnomah County news release.
The group jumped in the river and began swimming to shore, but Walker began to struggle and slipped underwater. Friends and a Samaritan tried to assist him but were unable to do so.
Responders including the Clark County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol Unit searched for Walker. A dive team recovered his body.
