Josephine County, Ore. – The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office was notified around 1:10 Sunday afternoon that there was a drowning in the Illinois River near Reeves Creek.
Deputies said the investigation indicates 87-year-old Jack Sauer and a friend were crossing the river on horses in order to go hunting. They encountered deep water and both horses tried to climb onto debris in the river. Sauer was thrown from his horse and fell into the river. His friend told troopers he last saw Sauer floating face down in the water roughly 100 feet downstream. The friend left the scene to call 911.
JCSO said after over two hours of searching, Sauer’s body was found submerged in four feet of water roughly 200 yards downstream from where he fell into the river.
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