Authorities identify victim of drowning in Dexter Reservoir

This story has been updated with the identity of the victim.

Authorities have identified the victim of the Sunday, July 13 drowning in Dexter Reservoir as 35-year-old Sheraz Michael of Eugene.

Michael drowned while paddleboarding in the reservoir, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said.

At around 11:45 a.m. Sunday, deputies from Lane County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol division and area fire departments responded to the reservoir, a popular water recreational destination 20 miles southeast of Eugene. Witnesses said Michael was paddleboarding in the reservoir without a life jacket, fell into the water, and did not surface.

Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue dive team responded and later located the man’s body underwater. 

Sgt. Tim Wallace, a public information officer with Lane County Sheriff’s Office, said the death at the popular destination marks the third water-related recreational death so far this year in the county.

“If there’s anything I can hammer home, it’s wear a life jacket,” Wallace said. 

Oregon regulations require paddlers to carry a life jacket, along with other safety equipment, while on the water. 

Wallace emphasized how this piece of safety equipment is essential, especially during the summer, when area waterways can be deceptively cold, leading to shock. 

“If it’s 85-90 degrees and you’re in the sun, and then you fall into water that’s maybe 40 degrees,” Wallace said. “You can be the strongest swimmer in the world, but the shock of that temperature change may prevent you from breathing, and nobody can swim if they can’t breathe.”