UPDATE: Search suspended for missing fisherman south of Tri-Cities

Columbia Basin Dive Rescue suspended the search for a missing man after a sonar search Monday morning.

The six people searching the Walla Walla River at Madame Dorion Memorial Park didn’t find any sign of the man who disappeared around 5:45 p.m. Sunday.

The park is near Wallula Junction south of Burbank where the Walla Walla River meets the Columbia River.

With no sign of him, and no better idea of where he went under, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue has suspended the search efforts, said Scott Ruppelius, the public information officer for Dive Rescue.

Missing

The missing man was fishing with some friends when he went into the river and disappeared underwater, the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to dispatch reports, the man in his mid-to-late 30s was fishing with friends when he decided to go swimming.

His friends called 911, and the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue, Walla Walla County Fire District 5 and the Pasco Fire Department responded.

Dive Rescue divers searched for the man until it became too dark to safely dive.

There have been no further details released about the missing man including his name or where he was from.

Search crews returned Monday morning to continue looking, Ruppelius said.

In 2019, the organization purchased a sonar system to help search for people underwater.

The device hangs from the side of the boat and uses sonar to show an image of what is underneath the water’s surface.

The Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office is warning that the low temperatures in the Walla Walla, Snake and Columbia rivers make it easy for people to develop hypothermia. Once people develop hypothermia, it makes it hard for them to save themselves.

“Our hearts go out to those close to the person reported missing as they still do not have answers,” the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “We have services available to anyone dealing with stressful or traumatic situations, all you need to do is call us and we can help.”

Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s dispatch at 509-527-3265 and reference case number 2022-3867.

This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 10:37 AM.