Spring Break
Body identified as missing OSU student
Jeffrey Schmidt died in November when his car crashed into a river
The Daily Barometer
Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: News
A body recovered from the North Umpqua River on Thursday has been identified as that of OSU student Jeffrey B. Schmidt, a 22-year-old senior from Medford who had been missing since the vehicle he was traveling in crashed into the river on Nov. 19.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner's office used dental records to identify the body.
Police recovered the body Thursday afternoon along Highway 138 East, a mile and a half downstream from the Dry Creek Store near milepost 47, near where the Jeep Wrangler Schmidt was traveling in was recovered on Nov. 21.
Schmidt had been missing and presumed dead after search efforts turned up nothing. He had been traveling with his girlfriend, 20-year-old OSU sohpomore Quinn Do Truong, whose body was recovered in the submerged vehicle.
Schmidt, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and Truong, a member of the Delta Gamma sorority, were returning from a social event at Diamond Lake when their car left the highway and crashed into the fast-moving river. It is not known what caused the crash.
Though authorities had said they believed Schmidt had drowned, the discovery of his body provided a sense of closure for those who were close to him.
"It's no fun to have to have to be brought back to open these wounds," said Kyle Shultz, president of Lambda Chi Alpha. "[But] it finally feels like we'll be able to close those wounds."
Shultz also spoke about what this will mean for Schmidt's family.
"I'm happy for his family. I've gotten to know his parents and his sister over the past few months and they're really great people. I know that they'll get closure and that makes me feel good," he said.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner's office used dental records to identify the body.
Police recovered the body Thursday afternoon along Highway 138 East, a mile and a half downstream from the Dry Creek Store near milepost 47, near where the Jeep Wrangler Schmidt was traveling in was recovered on Nov. 21.
Schmidt had been missing and presumed dead after search efforts turned up nothing. He had been traveling with his girlfriend, 20-year-old OSU sohpomore Quinn Do Truong, whose body was recovered in the submerged vehicle.
Schmidt, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and Truong, a member of the Delta Gamma sorority, were returning from a social event at Diamond Lake when their car left the highway and crashed into the fast-moving river. It is not known what caused the crash.
Though authorities had said they believed Schmidt had drowned, the discovery of his body provided a sense of closure for those who were close to him.
"It's no fun to have to have to be brought back to open these wounds," said Kyle Shultz, president of Lambda Chi Alpha. "[But] it finally feels like we'll be able to close those wounds."
Shultz also spoke about what this will mean for Schmidt's family.
"I'm happy for his family. I've gotten to know his parents and his sister over the past few months and they're really great people. I know that they'll get closure and that makes me feel good," he said.
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