BEND, Ore., June 30 (Our Bend News) — Tamolitch Falls, the Oregon swimming hole known as Blue Pool, turned deadly Friday evening when a 21-year-old Wichita State University student drowned after jumping into the water off Highway 126, also called the McKenzie Highway, in Linn County, the sheriff’s office said.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office identified the student as Kenny Truong of Wichita, Kansas. Dispatchers received a 911 call at 8:47 p.m. on June 26 reporting that a man had gone into the pool and was struggling.
Witnesses told authorities Truong was trying to swim back to shore before he submerged, according to the sheriff’s office. Linn County Undersheriff Micah Smith said first responders and bystanders tried to help, but Truong did not survive.
The site has been the scene of other rescues. In 2020, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office responded after a man jumped from rock ledges at Tamolitch Falls and did not surface for several minutes.
