IRRIGON, Ore.-The remains of a man missing for the past five years were recently recovered from the Columbia River in Irrigon with the help of Adventures With Purpose.
The remains of Marco Antonio Sandoval, known as Tony, and his Dodge Dart were found near Patterson Ferry Road on August 28.
Sandoval’s family reported him missing in January of 2021, and the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and investigators from multiple other jurisdictions followed leads and conducted searches over the past five years.
The Sandoval family contacted Adventures with Purpose (AWP), a volunteer dive team that helps search for missing people and sunken cars and requested their help with Tony’s case in August 2022, and the MCSO reached out to AWP in September 2022.
Adventures With Purpose
Jared Leisek, of Redmond, founded AWP, a group of professional scuba divers who use sonar and mapping technology to help search for missing people and cars believed to be submerged underwater, in 2018.
AWP now has two dive units consisting of an RV, trailer and boat, with one on the West Coast, and one stationed in Tennessee to help with searches on the East Coast.
The organization has about 10 people, with about three or four going on the road at a time to assist in searches.
AWP is an all-volunteer organization and does not charge law enforcement organizations or the families of missing persons for their services.
“We wish we could solve every case,” said Leisek, of being able to recover a missing person. “It’s hard to explain, we’re able to do things others can’t, something that is only done once. It’s a weirdly humbling experience.”
Leisek self-funds AWP through documentaries of its searches posted on its YouTube channel and facebook page, as well as merchandise sales and donations.
Time for one more search
After working some missing persons cases in Washington, Leisek was heading home to Oregon on August 28, when he realized he had time for one more search.
“I happened to be north of Spokane and was heading home through Hermiston when we decided to take a look in Irrigon,” said Leisek.
The MCSO never stopped searching for Sandoval and in Irrigon, Sergeant Carter with the MCSO, who reached out to AWP in 2022, directed Leisek to the Patterson Ferry Road boat launch and helped focus the search.
Leisek launched AWP’s boat around 4 p.m. on August 28 and began working the river downstream from Patterson.
After about 30 minutes AWP’s sonar located three cars about 60 to 80 feet offshore underwater in about 20 to 30 feet of water.
After clearing the first car, Leisek dove to the second car, a blue four-door sedan with the roof caved in.
“The best way I can describe it is that it looked as though a huge ponderosa pine had fallen directly across the top of the car and crushed it,” said Leisek.
After finding human remains still buckled into the driver’s seat, Leisek checked the Oregon license plates and found that they matched those of Sandoval’s Dodge Dart.
The third submerged car was also unoccupied.
Making a difference
With the help of the MCSO and Irrigon Volunteer Fire Department, the car was towed from the river.
Sandoval’s family, including his son, who was 10 when his father went missing five years ago, were at the scene when his remains were recovered.
After locating the car and remains, Leisek had the opportunity to meet Sandoval’s son, who shared that he watched Adventures With Purpose.
“I don’t know what my purpose in life is,” said Leisek. “But I’d like to be remembered after I’m gone as someone who helped find people and brought closure to families.”
Anyone can potentially help in a missing person investigation by simply making their skills and abilities known in the community, according to Leisek.
Anglers paying attention to their boat’s sonar or someone with dive experience letting their local law enforcement agency know they are willing to help are a few ways to stay aware and involved, according to Leisek, who also recommends following mapthemissing.com, a database of people missing with cars.
“Be a part of your community, you never know when you might help solve a case,” said Leisek.
According to the MCSO, the investigation into Sandoval’s disappearance and death is ongoing pending findings from the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office.
