Man missing from boat presumed drowned

A 25-year-old Battle Ground man who went missing Saturday night on the Columbia River is presumed drowned, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities are still looking for the missing man, Jay Jones, after his 16-foot Smoker Craft aluminum boat was found unoccupied Saturday evening in the Columbia River with the motor still running, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s Marine Patrol, assisted by the Columbia County (Ore.) Sheriff’s Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard, are concentrating their search efforts today to a one-half mile area of the Columbia River, from the mouth of the Lewis River at Austin Point to the northern end of Bachelor Island on the Washington state side of the Columbia River.

“Search boats are scanning the river bottom using a high definition echo sounder and side scan sonar in attempt to locate Jones’ body,” according to a news release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “The exact location where Jones separated from the small aluminum boat was not witnessed and is unknown, making the search area significantly large.”

On Saturday Jones had reportedly been using the boat to shuttle people back and forth to Bachelor Island, in the Columbia River just west of Ridgefield. At about 5:30 p.m., at least one 911 caller reported seeing a person in the water, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Clark County sheriff’s marine unit found the unoccupied boat going in circles near the mouth of the Lewis River, near Woodland, and was able to stop it. Deputies towed it to a boat ramp in Cowlitz County.

Authorities don’t know whether Jones was wearing a life jacket. They advised that all boaters in the river wear a life jacket, especially when riding in a small, open vessel.

“Water temperatures are too cold for even strong swimmers,” according to the sheriff’s office news release. “Even while searcher are looking for the presumed drowned victim today, they continue to see boaters in small boats transiting the search area, not wearing a personal flotation device.”