Search fails to find man swept into sea

Man was wading on Gold Beach

GOLD BEACH, Ore. — Officials were continuing to search this week for the body of a Veneta, Ore., man who apparently was swept out to sea when he waded into the turbulent Pacific Ocean last Friday in an effort to rescue his dog.

The victim was identified as Kevin Cornell “K.C.” Anton, 48, who had been staying at Turtle Rock RV Park by Hunter Creek, next to the ocean.

Police Chief Dixon Andrews said the remains of Anton’s dog, a 25-pound Schipperke, was found Saturday, between Kissing Rock and Cape Sebastian, south of the place where Anton was seen entering the water in an attempt to reach the dog that had already been swept away.

Searchers from the Gold Beach police, Curry County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, the sheriff and his staff, and the Coast Guard, which sent out two helicopters and a boat, began searching after a witness reported seeing a man jump into the ocean after the dog.

Andrews said it was hours before officials knew who they were searching for.

“We had a very credible local person who was watching the tide at Hunter Creek, on the south side of the creek, the Kissing Rock side. He saw what looked like a small dog. The man ran in the water waist deep and he was swept off his feet. He saw him go down, up and go down,” Andrews said.

“We had no idea who we were looking for and we had no reports of a missing person,” Andrews said.

“The sheriff saw evidence someone was walking a dog. The incoming surf washed that away quickly,” he said.

Eventually, “we got information from Turtle Rock they had a guy who had been there and he was not answering his door. That’s how we put two and two together,” Andrews said.

The police chief said that he talked to Anton’s girlfriend who had been camping at Turtle Rock with Anton.

“She had to leave,” Andrews said. “She had returned home to Veneta because she had to return to work.”

Andrews said the girlfriend had talked to Anton by cell phone about noon on Friday.

“He said he was walking the dog to the beach,” Andrews said.

She later tried to call Anton several times but only got voice mail.

Police talked to another man at Turtle Rock, who saw Anton walking toward the beach with the dog. He described the clothing Anton was wearing, which matched the description given by the witness who saw him jump into the ocean.

Officials searched the area until dark without finding either the man or the dog, then returned the next morning.

The police chief said the witness was a local businessman who was shaken up by what he saw.

Andrews said the Sheriff’s Office received a “no-voice” call from a cell phone and the call source was traced to the area of Highway 101 at the Hunter Creek bridge in Gold Beach.

“As a Gold Beach police officer was responding, the citizen who was attempting to call 911 flagged over a passing Curry County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle and informed the officer they had just observed a male get swept out to sea,” Andrews said.

The victim was reported to be wearing a heavy coat and possibly had on boots.

He “waded out into the surf, lost his footing, and then was quickly pulled out into the heavy, pounding surf,” Andrews said. “The witness observed the subject being pulled by the current out to sea in a northwesterly direction and saw the subject bob up and down in the water a couple times before going underwater and not resurfacing.”

Andrews said the search for Anton continued through the weekend.

“It was a huge effort by everyone,” he said.