A family outing to the Oregon coast on January 11, 2020, ended in tragedy when four-year-old William Stiles was swept into the Pacific Ocean near Arch Cape. William, described as having blond hair, blue eyes and a small scar on his forehead, was walking with his father and his seven-year-old sister, Lola, on a trail at Falcon Cove when a powerful sneaker wave struck and pulled all three into the sea. Their father, Jeremy Stiles, managed to get back to shore with hypothermia; Lola was pulled from the water by a police officer and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. William was carried farther out and could not be found.

An immediate search involved the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and local police and fire crews, but rough conditions and a high surf warning hampered efforts. The active search was suspended at sunset the same day; no trace of William was discovered. The coastal communities of Manzanita and Arch Cape and the family’s home city of Portland held vigils for William and Lola. The disappearance remains a devastating loss and a reminder of sneaker waves’ unpredictability.

Did anyone who was on the beach or nearby that day see anything else that could help provide closure for William’s family?