Remains of missing St. Paul man found near Oregon City

The search for a St. Paul businessman missing since early February has come to an end with the discovery of his remains.

According to an account from Kim Wallis, former St. Paul mayor and an organizer of the civilian component of the search for Gurjinder “Gary” Singh Grewal, a fisherman found the man’s remains on the Willamette River at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, May 22.

Wallis said the fisherman found the remains near the town of Canemah, now part of Oregon City, which is just upstream from Willamette Falls. The fisherman immediately contacted the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, which transported the remains to the office of that county’s medical examiner, who identified the remains as Grewal shortly after.

A press release from the Oregon State Police Thursday afternoon said there were “no suspicious circumstances surrounding the recovery at this time” but that the investigation is continuing.

Wallis was called in to aid the Oregon State Police in notifying Grewal’s family of the discovery on Wednesday evening.

“It’s sad. It was a hard one,” Wallis said, explaining that he has a background in law enforcement, as a deputy medical examiner and has provided family support in the past to civilians and military personnel. “So, I’ve done these kinds of notifications, and this was a hard one. … It is never easy.”

A public funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 25, at Virgil T. Golden Funeral Services, 604 Commercial St. SE in Salem.

A Sikh Bhog is planned 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, 860 Oakhill Ave. SE in Salem. For more information, contact Mukhtiar Singh at 541-231-6568.

Grewal, co-owner of the St. Paul Market and Rodeo Inn, went missing Feb. 8 after leaving the market that morning. He was last seen walking on the Willamette River Bridge on Highway 219 between Newberg and St. Paul. His vehicle, a late-model Honda Pilot, was found a few hundred yards south of the river in a pullout on the highway.

Multiple agencies — including the Oregon State Police, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and a Clackamas County search and rescue team, as well as numerous community members — began searching for the man the day he disappeared. The search continued over the next months, with members of the Sikh community, the Bend-headquartered Adventures With Purpose organization, drone operators and others joining in the effort, but to no avail.

The Oregon State Police and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office coordinated the agency search for the man, while Wallis and members of the St. Paul community comprised the civilian corps of searchers.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include information on the funeral and religious services for Grewal.