Driver Found Dead After Car Plunges Into Rogue River in Jackson County

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — Oregon State Police (OSP) and Jackson County Search and Rescue Team (SAR) officers responding to reports of a single vehicle crash on Monday faced the grim task of recovering the vehicle and the deceased driver from the Rogue River.

According to preliminary investigation reports, a southbound Subaru Legacy, driven by 26-year-old Cody Austin Jenkins of Gold Hill, veered across the Highway 99 northbound lanes near milepost 12 on Monday before breaking through a fence and landing in the Rogue River.

The vehicle became submerged quickly, but no occupants were seen escaping the car.

Multi-agency officers responded at about 2:18 p.m., including OSP, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, SAR, the Rogue River Fire Department, and ODOT.

They removed the vehicle from the river, but the Subaru driver, Jenkins, was declared deceased at the scene. There were no other people in the car. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.