SILETZ Ore. (KPTV) – Police, search and rescue teams, and community volunteers spent all of Sunday searching for a 2-year-old Siletz boy who has been missing since Saturday afternoon.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Dane Paulsen was last seen playing in the yard of a home near milepost 21 on the Siletz River Highway. LCSO said the boy is “friendly and fearless, and is comfortable around strangers and water, but cannot swim.”
He was reported missing around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, prompting a multi-agency search.
Dorothy Handley runs the campground just across the river from the Paulsen family, and said she was one of the first people to hear Dane was missing.
“The momma came over here, frantic, asking if I’d seen the baby,” Handley said.
On Sunday, Handley helped host hundreds of volunteers – bringing them food and supplies, and offering support.
“It’s been physically hard but nothing compared to what the family is going through,” Handley said. “Our hearts go out to them and the community has just stepped up so much.”
As of Sunday evening, LCSO said teams had searched 382 acres and covered 283 miles. Those teams have included watercraft, divers, drones, search dogs and 138 community volunteers.
Gregory Dewar of Siletz was one of those volunteers, and said on Sunday that he planned to help search until dark.
“I’ve got twin toddlers myself, so pretty heartbreaking,” Dewar said.
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The boy was wearing a gray fuzzy hoody with ears, black pants, and blue and white shoes at the time of his disappearance. He has brown hair and blue eyes.
Earlier on Sunday, LCSO deputies said a gold station wagon seen in the area was a vehicle of interest, but shortly before 5 p.m., deputies said they had ruled out the car as having any connection to the boy’s disappearance. Deputies also said they had no reason to suspect anything criminal had happened.
LCSO said their teams will continue to search in the darkness, but asked community members to take a break for the night and rejoin the effort at daylight Monday.
- Those who are interested in helping are asked to go to the staging area and check in with the camp host at Elks Toketee Illahee campground at 20590 Siletz Hwy, Siletz, Oregon 97380.
Sundancer Yanez-Bearden is from Waldport, and said he came to join the search after seeing posts on social media.
“Kind of geared up a little bit last minute and decided to come out when we found out,” Yanez-Bearden said. “I was lost as a child a couple of times, not gonna lie, and I know how scary that is too, so to have everybody out there helping is what this child needs so that’s what we’re here to do.”
Carter Mallaburn, also from Waldport, said he’s a ham radio operator and brought some of his radios with him.
“Siletz is a tight knit community, everybody’s always looking out for one another, so that was one of the calls to be here for me at least,” Mallaburn said.
As the sunset ended Sunday’s search for the community volunteers, Handley and her husband held a prayer vigil.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or spiritual at all, come pray with us. Light a candle … light a candle right now,” she said. “And pray for the family. “
Handley – also a chaplain – said she’s continued to check on Dane’s mother, sharing prayers and whatever comfort she can.
LCSO asks that anyone who may have information relating to Dane’s disappearance to call their Tip Line at 541-265-0669 or their non-emergency dispatch at 541-265-0777.
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