The Marion County Sheriff's Office dive team recovered the body of a 20-year-old man from Butte Creek on Wednesday, Aug. 5, one day after deputies responded to a reported drowning at Scotts Mills County Park.
Deputies responded to the park at approximately 8:24 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, after receiving a report of a possible drowning, according to the Sheriff's Office. They didn't find him.
Early Wednesday morning, the dive team returned with assistance from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Dive Team. Crews searched Butte Creek near Scotts Mills Falls and recovered the man's body, KOIN reported.
The victim's identity has not been released. The investigation is ongoing, and no cause of death has been officially confirmed.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Nick Hunter, asked the public in a statement Wednesday to respect the family's privacy and to avoid Scotts Mills County Park while law enforcement investigates.
Known hazards at the falls
Scotts Mills County Park is a 13-acre day-use park about eight miles east of Silverton and roughly 22 miles northeast of Salem. The park's main attraction is Scotts Mills Falls, a roughly 10-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide waterfall that draws swimmers and cliff jumpers during summer months. Pieces of a decaying dam have fallen into the pool below the falls, which Oregon Discovery describes as creating a risk of serious injury for people who jump from the dam or nearby rocks.
How to report information
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Marion County Sheriff's Office at (503) 588-5032. Anonymous tips can be texted to 847411 using the keyword TIPMCSO.








