‘Kind and thoughtful’ high schooler vanishes after wading along Oregon coastline
.jpg "Jacob Stokes disappeared off Cannon Beach on May 12 after he was pulled out by a rip current, Oregon school officials said. He is presumed dead, and his body has not been found.")
CLARIFICATION: Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District on Tuesday, May 16, updated an earlier news release about the group of swimmers they responded to. The four people were not swimming in the ocean. Officials said they were wading in knee-deep water along the shoreline when a rip current pulled them out.
The original story is below.
An 18-year-old high school student was wading in knee-deep water with three others off an Oregon beach when they were pulled by a rip current, fire officials and the school said.
Jacob Stokes, a senior at Mountainside High School in Beaverton, disappeared in the water and was reported missing at about 3:50 p.m. on May 12 from Cannon Beach, according to Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District and a statement from high school principal Todd Corsetti.
Fire officials said they responded to an initial report of swimmers needing to be rescued. Two people made it out of the water. They rescued the third person but couldn’t find Stokes.
“The term ‘swimming in the ocean’ is often an interchangeable term used in reference to water rescues,” the fire department said in an updated release Tuesday, May 16.
Once they reviewed witness statements, fire officials said they learned two people had been wading in knee-deep water along the shoreline when they were hit by a wave and pulled away by an “intense rip current.”
The person who was saved was taken to a hospital, rescuers said.
Corsetti sent an email to families announcing Stokes’ death Sunday, May 15.
“On Friday, senior Jacob Stokes was involved in a tragic swimming accident in the ocean along Cannon Beach. At this time, his body has not yet been found,” according to the statement.
Stokes was described as “a friend to many” and “kind and thoughtful.”
He was also on his high school cross country and track teams. He competed in the 100 meter and javelin races.
Stokes had plans to go to Oregon State University in the fall, Corsetti said.
Fire officials warned the public of unpredictable rip currents in the Pacific Ocean that “can take a person out in a matter of seconds.”
If anyone sees a distressed swimmer, they should call 911, officials said.
Beaverton is less than 10 miles west of downtown Portland.
This story was originally published May 15, 2023 at 2:45 PM with the headline "‘Kind and thoughtful’ high schooler vanishes after wading along Oregon coastline."
