Oregon father charged with child neglect in drowning death of 2-year-old son
KTVZ
(UPDATE: adding video)
SILETZ, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Lincoln County father has been charged with child neglect in connection with the drowning death of his 2-year-old son, whose disappearance earlier this year prompted an extensive search effort, according to KGW.
Court records show that Aaron Paulsen faces one count of second-degree child neglect in the March death of his son, Dane Paulsen. The charge alleges that Paulsen “unlawfully and with criminal negligence (left) Dane Paulsen … unattended in or at a place, for such period of time as was likely to endanger” the child’s health or welfare.
A Lincoln County grand jury returned the indictment on Oct. 16, and a circuit court judge issued an arrest warrant for Paulsen a week later. His bail was set at $20,000, and he is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge next Monday.
Dane was reported missing from the family’s home along Highway 229 in Siletz in early March. The boy was last seen playing in the front yard, according to law enforcement at the time.
His disappearance triggered a large-scale search involving multiple law enforcement agencies — including the FBI — local residents, and volunteers from other regions. Authorities initially circulated a description of a vehicle of interest, but investigators later located the vehicle and ruled out any connection, according to KGW.
Search teams focused on the Siletz River and nearby wooded areas, continuing daylight and overnight operations for several days and extending into a second week.
Ten days after Dane’s disappearance, an independent diver discovered the child’s body in the river roughly three miles downstream from the family’s home, KGW reported. Investigators later determined that Dane had wandered to the river’s edge and drowned. Authorities found no evidence of foul play.