Late Wednesday afternoon, Curry County Sheriff, John Ward and the Curry County Sheriff’s Office released additional information regarding the locating the body of Michael Rupert on a gravel bar about three miles east of Brookings on the Chetco River on February 27th, 2024.
Further investigation into the matter while looking for Mr. Rupert’s vehicle, had continued since locating Mr. Rupert’s body in late February, however, due to the winter weather and high murky water, authorities were unable to search the river for the vehicle but did have it listed as a missing vehicle in their database.
On Monday, March 18th, the river had subsided and cleared enough for us to be able to search the river near where Mr. Rupert was found and Dan Brattian, of Cal Ore Life Flight took Sheriff Ward to search the area.
While flying upriver, the outline of a vehicle completely submerged in the river was observed from the helicopter, about four hundred feet below the most western point of Social Security Bar.
The vehicle, which appeared to match the description of Mr. Rupert’s vehicle, was on the north side of the river about fifteen feet from the bank in about eight feet of fast-moving water about a half mile upriver from where Mr. Rupert was found.
On Wednesday, March 20th, Curry County Sheriff’s Deputies, Detectives and a member Search and Rescue took a Sheriff’s boat up the river to the location where the vehicle was submerged and from the Sheriff’s boat an underwater camera hooked to a long pole was used to search the inside of the vehicle.
Through the monitor, searchers believed they could see a deceased dog inside the vehicle. A diver then dove down to attach a tow strap to the back of the car and used a series of cables and winch line to reach the vehicle which was about four hundred feet from the closest point they could get the tow truck.
It took several hours to get the vehicle on dry land and Detectives confirmed the vehicle belonged to Michael Rupert and sadly, a deceased dog was recovered and taken to South Coast Humane Society.
The Curry County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate the incident. Mr. Rupert’s family were notified that the vehicle had been found along with Mr. Rupert’s deceased dog.
