TENMILE, Ore. – On Sunday, May 14, 2023, at approximately 12:44 p.m., 9-1-1 dispatchers began receiving reports of a swimmer in distress at Ben Irving Reservoir. At the same time, a Douglas County Marine Deputy who was working on the waterway, radioed that a distressed swimmer had gone under the water. The deputy had attempted to assist the swimmer without success. Deputies later learned the swimmer was 15-year-old Myles Martin Swenson of Tenmile and was presumed drowned. Efforts to locate Swenson by divers and rescuers were unsuccessful on Sunday after extensive above and underwater searching. On Monday, May 15, 2023, efforts to locate Swenson resumed. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Douglas County Search and Rescue, Douglas County Dive Team, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and the Oregon State Police. With the use of Klamath County’s specialized sonar equipment, divers were deployed to a specific area where they located Swenson from the reservoir. The Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office responded and is conducting a death investigation. On Sunday, additional assistance was received from Douglas County Search and Rescue, Douglas County Dive Team, Oregon State Police, Douglas County Fire District #2, Tenmile Rural Fire Department and Winston-Dillard Fire Department.
