Private dive team finds body of grandpa missing for months in river, Oregon police say

Richard Ritz, 74, rarely deviated from his “daily routine” and talked everyday with his daughter — so his family knew something was wrong when he went missing last year, his granddaughter said in a Facebook group.

He and his black Toyota 4Runner SUV were last seen leaving a bar in Portland, Oregon, on Sept. 13, 2020, according to a news release from Portland police.

Nine months later, a private dive team found Ritz’s car Thursday submerged in 25 feet of water in the Willamette River off the Cathedral Park Boat Ramp, police said.

Divers with “Adventures with Purpose,” a private company that specializes in missing person cases, notified the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, which sent its own dive team to recover Ritz’s body, police said.

“It’s been driving me crazy everyday. I’m constantly on my phone looking on Google to see if they found him,” Tina Heagle-Ritz, Ritz’s daughter, told KOIN. “It’s a relief but at the same time ... knowing I don’t have my dad anymore.”

Because of his health conditions, officials classified Ritz as “endangered” after he was missing for five days, police said.

At this time, officials don’t believe any foul play was involved and the county medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death.