Salem, Ore. — At approximately 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 24, Salem Police detectives and deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were called to an area of the Willamette River at about the 3900 block of Wallace RD NW on the report of deceased person in the waterway.
The individual matched the description of missing, west Salem teenager, Zackary Christopher Brenneman.
An examination performed by the Oregon State Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as drowning. Although Salem Police detectives are waiting for the results of other medical reports for official confirmation of identify, they are confident the person found is Zackary. Additionally, detectives found no evidence of criminality or foul play.
Family members reported the 16-year-old missing just after 11:00 p.m. on Friday, September 16. Since then, Salem Police detectives have been in communication with Zackary’s parents throughout the investigation.
We offer our condolences to the Brenneman Family during this extremely difficult time. At present, the family is requesting privacy.
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