Body of missing Pasco kayaker found day after his frantic 911 call

Rescue divers recovered the body of a missing kayaker Wednesday evening in a waterway near Burbank.

Jostin L. Garcia Montes, 20, of Pasco, was missing for more than a day after making a frantic 911 call on Tuesday.

A 911 call came into dispatchers about noon from a man saying he needed help and was drowning, the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office said in a release Wednesday afternoon.

Before the call cut off, he mentioned a kayak. Dispatchers also believed they heard the sound of water splashing before the brief call ended.

The emergency dispatchers traced the call to the popular hunting and fishing area near the Burbank Slough at the McNary National Wildlife Refuge near the Snake and Columbia rivers, the sheriff’s office said.

Walla Walla deputies were joined in the search by Washington State Fish and Wildlife, Walla Walla Fire District 5, and the Washington State Patrol, along with police from College Place and Pasco.

The area was searched on foot, by drone and on the water.

They found a kayak, personal items on the water and a personal vehicle parked nearby, but they weren’t able to find Garcia Montes.

The Walla Walla County marine unit, the detective bureau and Columbia Basin Dive Rescue continued searching on Wednesday.

Garcia Montes’ family was notified and were working with deputies, said officials.

At 4:30pm searchers returned to an area they believed needed to be searched further, said an updated sheriff’s office release.

They found his body at 5:25 p.m.

Detectives and the Walla Walla County Coroner’s office will investigate his death, but currently they do not suspect foul play, said the release.

“Our hearts go out to them as they help us with this emotional investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in the release. “Our sincere gratitude to our partner agencies for their diligence to help us with our rescue attempts.”

This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 6:20 PM.