A teenager who disappeared while playing in the Willamette River near Independence was found dead Thursday in Keizer Rapids Park.
Gregorio Maximiano-Solano, 13, of California, had been missing since Sunday after he disappeared beneath the water near Riverview Park.
A Keizer mother was at the boat dock with her children when she spotted the body against the river shore by a boat ramp, Lt. Chris Nelson of Keizer Police said. She called police at 1:20 p.m. Police and firefighters arrived at the scene at 1:27 p.m.
Polk County emergency responders and the U.S. Coast Guard began searching for Solano in the river after he disappeared around 5 p.m. Sunday.
Independence Police detectives and the Polk County medical examiner were at Keizer Rapids Park Thursday after the teen’s body was found, according to a statement from Independence Police. After arriving at the scene, Independence Police took over the investigation.
Keizer Rapids Park is about 16 miles downriver from the point the teen disappeared.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Solano and his family, which the fundraiser page describes as a migrant family from California working in the area harvesting berries. The GoFundMe description calls Solano a “good child who has always been very helpful to his family.”
Correction: A previous version of this story inaccurately listed the distance between Riverview Park and Keizer Rapids Park along the Willamette River. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.