OR OR - Hillsboro, male / uncertain, “body parts” found in Tualatin River, 8 August 2025

[RememberingRyan]

Not very much information to go on as of yet. First “body part” was found in the river on August 8, 2025 by a kayaker - LE was called to 4000 block of Southwest Rood Bridge Road, Hillsboro, OR. They conducted a search and found a second “body part” on the 9th, approximately a mile downstream from the first discovery.

Law enforcement believes that these remains came from the same person but have not yet been able to verify. They have not confirmed the sex or ethnicity of the remains. There is decomp but remains appear to be “recent”.

They believe that whatever occurred was not survivable, and the case is being investigated as a homicide (very few details being released to the public at this time).

‘Unsettling’: Mystery of body parts found in Tualatin River deepens

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office are working under the assumption the body parts belong to the same person, but they can’t confirm they are.

www.koin.com

No NamUs profile yet.

 

[alucardsdream]

That's definitely unsettling...I wonder if any more body parts will show up.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Now in NAMUS. Listed as Male, Uncertain.

 

[RememberingRyan]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Now in NAMUS. Listed as Male, Uncertain.

Thank you! I’ve reported my original post to request that the title be updated to reflect as male.

 

[Snoopster]

An earlier story mentioned that the first body part was found in the river near 4000 block SW Rood Bridge Rd, Hillsboro.

That's here:

google maps - 4000 SW Rood Bridge Rd

https://www.koin.com/local/washington-county/kayaker-finds-body-part-floating-in-tualatin-river/

According to the later news article (posted by the OP) the second body part was found the next day about a mile downstream.
ETA: since the Tualanin River flows generally west to east, the body parts were likely put in the river in or west of Hillsboro (which is just west of Portland).

 

[Snoopster]

It sounds like physical identification in the case will be difficult unless LE can use DNA to identify the victim.

 

[blukat]

I know exactly where that is at. The park there is really nice and you can walk down to the river at that point. The river usually floods in winter but in summer it is definitely lower. I believe there is a boat ramp right there.

There are many places besides that location where someone could throw something in the water.

There are also unhoused people that live along the rivers in the area. Plus it's not difficult for people to travel to various parts of the Portland Metro area, so someone who is reported missing in another place like Vancouver, WA or downtown Portland could have easily traveled to the Hillsboro area.

Whoever this person was, hopefully they have been reported missing recently. That would help figuring out who they are.

 

[Snoopster]

I know exactly where that is at. The park there is really nice and you can walk down to the river at that point. The river usually floods in winter but in summer it is definitely lower. I believe there is a boat ramp right there.

There are many places besides that location where someone could throw something in the water.

There are also unhoused people that live along the rivers in the area. Plus it's not difficult for people to travel to various parts of the Portland Metro area, so someone missing in another place like Vancouver, WA or downtown Portland could easily travel to the Hillsboro area.

Whoever this person was, hopefully they have been reported missing recently. That would help figuring out who they are.

Thanks for your local insight.

 

[blukat]

JMO that it's most likely that the parts were put in the river upstream from where they were found. I read that the first part was actually floating in the river during daytime when found. It's summer and the park is very popular so lots of people would have been there. Not the best place to do something secretive during the day.

There is a small dam about 200 yards upstream from the park. So kayakers and boaters can't go upstream past that. There aren't any public boat launches upstream from the park. The upstream part of the river travels for several miles through mostly farm land. There are creeks that feed into the Tualatin River along there, and roads with bridges that pass over it along the way.

Thinking about all this is rather unpleasant. I hope LE can at least figure out who the person was.

edited to add that it's not a full dam but a low concrete block dam with openings for water to pass through. Most of the water for the river comes from Hagg Lake and Barney Reservoir during the summer. Both can be accessed by people. Hagg Lake is a popular recreation area that is closer to Hillsboro than Barney Reservoir.

 

[nao]

Moo.. are the dam openings large enough for a person/body to pass thru ?

 

[blukat]

Moo.. are the dam openings large enough for a person/body to pass thru ?

(photo from Google Maps)

There is a space in the middle that something of size could pass through if floating. Tualatin River Keepers has a YouTube video "Rood Bridge Launch Site" where at two minutes in they show the dam from being on the river perspective.

There was rain on August 6th so the river was a little higher at that time, just below 4 ft. on the day they found the first part.

In case anyone is curious about it Tualatin River Wiki page

Also NOAA's river gage at Rood Bridge

 

[Snoopster]

View attachment 608803
(photo from Google Maps)

There is a space in the middle that something of size could pass through if floating. Tualatin River Keepers has a YouTube video "Rood Bridge Launch Site" where at two minutes in they show the dam from being on the river perspective.

There was rain on August 6th so the river was a little higher at that time, just below 4 ft. on the day they found the first part.

In case anyone is curious about it Tualatin River Wiki page

Also NOAA's river gage at Rood Bridge

Good to understand the river level at the time.
That river is a VERY meandering river and there looks to be lots of fairly sharp curves with many old dead trees and branches where things could get caught.

 

[blukat]

I hope that LE has flown drones along the river since that would be the best way to access it and see if there is anything else that might have gotten caught or washed up, or floating. It's several miles long so it would take time but I think it's the best way to search the river at this time.

 

[nao]

Moo... there is a fair amount of pressure when the water exits the dam. Possibly it could cause the body to break apart if body is hitting the walls of the dam before exiting. Maybe the rest of the body is stuck against the wall of dam?....moo

 

[Snoopster]

Moo... there is a fair amount of pressure when the water exits the dam. Possibly it could cause the body to break apart if body is hitting the walls of the dam before exiting. Maybe the rest of the body is stuck against the wall of dam?....moo

That makes sense, especially if the body has been in the water for a while.
But they said the death seemed recent, didn't they? I know nothing about the pressure through the dam, but wouldn't a fairly "healthy" body be more difficult to have been 'dismembered' by just that pressure?
No clue on my part. Just thinking.

Who is this person?

 

[RememberingRyan]

Moo... there is a fair amount of pressure when the water exits the dam. Possibly it could cause the body to break apart if body is hitting the walls of the dam before exiting. Maybe the rest of the body is stuck against the wall of dam?....moo

It’s still early, so anything is possible… but I think that the remains could reflect evidence more indicative of foul play, given how quick they were to declare it a homicide investigation. Tissues which have been torn by force (such as by the pressures of a dam) wouldn’t strike me as an act of another human, whereas clean cuts or saw marks definitely would, for example. MOO.