Man found in Russian River dies; second drowning in 4 days

A man died Saturday night after he was found in the Russian River in Monte Rio, a fire official said.

It is the second drowning to occur in the river in about four days.

Passersby going down the river on a paddleboard saw a commotion and located the man about 6:40 p.m. just west of the Bohemian Highway bridge. After contacting local authorities, they loaded him onto the board and did CPR until the Monte Rio Fire Protection District arrived, according to Fire Chief Steve Baxman.

Baxman was not sure in what state the man was found.

Firefighters performed life-saving measures, including those intended to help with cardiac arrest, for about 25 minutes before the man was pronounced dead.

The man, who seemed to be in his 50s, will be identified by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Coroner. The agency will continue investigating.

Baxman said investigators at the site were not able to quickly determined what led to the man’s drowning. They also aren’t sure how long he had been under the water before bystanders found him.

“We’re not quite sure what really happened,” said Baxman, who was at the scene near where Dutch Bill Creek empties into the river.

Another drowning occurred last week about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday at Patterson Point Preserve near the Villa Grande community. The man reported missing was found dead about 2:20 p.m. Friday near the spot he was last seen, Baxman said.

“It’s just an unusual year,” he said of the two drownings that occurred in such close proximity, in time and location. “It's sad. We don't want to see it happen.”

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.