Body Recovered from Rogue River Believed to Be Missing Rafter
Reid Litwack disappeared Aug. 4 after being swept underwater at Wildcat Rapid
Reid Litwack: Reid Litwack, 65, was last seen Aug. 4 at Wildcat Rapid in the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. The photo was taken during the rafting trip. Courtesy of the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A body recovered from the remote Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River is believed to be that of 65-year-old Reid Litwack, who disappeared after a rafting accident at Wildcat Rapid last week, according to the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.
Final identification remains pending with assistance from the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. Litwack’s family has been notified.
The incident began shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, when 911 dispatchers received a message from a Garmin GPS device reporting a rafting accident at Wildcat Rapid.
Investigators said Litwack was traveling in an inflatable raft when it became pinned in the rapid. He was swept underwater and did not resurface.
Garmin assisted dispatchers in communicating with the rafting party while Josephine County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Search and Rescue volunteers, and Bureau of Land Management personnel developed a plan to reach the group in the remote section of the river.
At approximately 5:30 a.m. the following morning, deputies and BLM personnel began a several-hour hike to reach the rafters. The party was ultimately able to hike out of the area, while BLM personnel arranged to float their belongings and equipment farther downstream for later retrieval.
Litwack remained missing.
On Friday, Aug. 7, another rafting party sent a message by GPS device reporting that they had discovered a body downstream from where Litwack disappeared.
Deputies, Search and Rescue, and BLM personnel launched a recovery effort from Grave Creek. BLM personnel navigated approximately two hours downriver before reaching the reported area.
Crews searched extensively but were unable to find the body after markers reportedly left to help identify the location were no longer present.
Deputies returned to the river Saturday morning, Aug. 8, launching again from Grave Creek.
At approximately 2:01 p.m., deputies notified dispatchers by satellite message that they had located and recovered the body. Search and Rescue personnel met deputies at Black Bar Lodge to assist with transportation.
Formal identification remains pending with the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office thanked BLM personnel, Search and Rescue volunteers, and Black Bar Lodge for assisting with the recovery.
Officials also reminded people traveling on remote stretches of the river to prepare for medical emergencies, carry alternate forms of communication, and make sure someone knows their planned route and expected return time.
Cover Image: A rafting scene on the Rogue River provides context for the recovery of a body believed to be missing rafter Reid Litwack. Al Case Flickr / Jefferson Daily graphic.
Keep Reading
