20-year-old drowns while swimming with friends in the Columbia River

A 20-year-old man died while swimming with friends in the Columbia River near the Oregon-Washington border.

Luis Adrian Oropeza Perez was with friends Sunday at Warehouse Beach when he tried swimming from the cliffs near the swimming area to a nearby island upstream, the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Oropeza Perez began struggling about half way there and disappeared under the water about 7:45 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

His friends and other beachgoers tried to help, but weren’t able to get to him.

The Umatilla sheriff’s boat, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Umatilla Rural Fire Department boat responded and began looking for him.

While they were able to find a possible location by using sonar, they had to suspend the search because it was getting dark.

The Oregon State Police, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Umatilla Rural Fire Department resumed the search about 8 a.m. Monday.

Columbia Basin Dive Rescue divers from the Tri-Cities area were eventually able to find and recover his body about 3:45 p.m. Monday.

A GoFundMe was created by his family to help return his body to relatives in Venezuela.

Family members said he was passionate about music and soccer.

“With his voice, he touched those around him, and with his determination, he inspired many with his delivery,” the post said in Spanish. “His sudden and heartbreaking death has left his family, especially his parents, completely devastated.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM.