St. Helens City Administrator John Walsh went missing Saturday after disappearing into the Columbia River, according to a city press release.

Police first received a call around 10:30 p.m. that a man, later identified as Walsh, had gone into the Columbia River and had failed to surface.

Search efforts lasted until 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning, before resuming at 11 am. Walsh has still not been found.

The St. Helens City Council held a meeting on Sunday to declare an emergency and appoint an interim city administrator.

Mayor Jennifer Massey said that city offices would be closed on Monday. That includes the city hall and the library.

“We’re canceling everything we possibly can this week,” Massey said. “There’s not going to be a lot of stuff going on.”

At an emotional meeting Sunday, councilors eventually selected Finance Director Gloria Butsch as the interim administrator for the next two weeks.

Walsh had served as city administrator since 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/14/st-helens-city-administrator-goes-missing-in-columbia-river/