Salem Man Missing After Falling from Oregon Coast Cliff

The man fell about 60 feet while taking photographs.

Brian Wells of Salem, Oregon Photograph courtesy: DMV photo

(DEPOE BAY, Ore.) - A Salem man is missing after he reportedly fell off a cliff at Rocky Creek State Park wayside about two miles south of Depoe Bay while visiting the area with his wife and friend Friday evening.

An area search continued today with the help of US Coast Guard and local agencies.

Friday at approximately 6:00 PM, 43-year old Brian Albert Wells of Salem, reportedly stopped at Rocky Creek State Park wayside with his 54-year old wife and a 62-year old male friend to take pictures.

His wife and friend said they had traveled to the coast for the day and stopped at a wayside to take photographs. They said that Mr. Wells was leaning over the edge to take pictures when he lost his balance. They said Brian Wells fell about 60 feet where he landed on rocks and water.

Oregon State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Depoe Bay Fire & Rescue, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel responded. Brian Wells was last seen by his wife and friend in the water.

An area search with the help of a Coast Guard helicopter was suspended at 11:00 PM. The search efforts resumed Saturday morning. A spokesperson with the U.S. Coast Guard at North Bend told Salem-News that the search was suspended this afternoon.

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Kathy, His Best friend? Interesting. He was not a big photographer. You must be a friend of someone else. Might I also add that he was not stupid either!

perhaps if you people knew the situation at the time of the accident you would understand that he was trying to take a picture of the night sky on the ocean. When you look through the lens of a camera things are much closer than they seem. he was much closer to the edge than he thought and the wind was blowing at 50mph. If you have ever been at the coast in the wind you would understand why you don't stand on the edge of a cliff. As for his wife pushing him off, you are nuts. and she did not have a relationship with his best friend. They were business partners trying to start a business not emotionally involved. Grow up people, accidents do happen.

Has anyone heard anymore info on this?

Brian was a great friend and will surely be missed by many.

Danna you are an idiot. this man left behind a 18 year old sone and a 21 year old daughter. I have known brian for almost 30 years now. he will be truley missed by a lot of people.

my dad was a great person i loved him with all my heart. thank you to all whom feel for my familys loss. - Brian albert wells jr

Is it just me or does anyone else think it's weird that someone would take pictures at 6:00 p.m. when it's already dark outside? I think before writing this off as an accident, the police need to explore the option that maybe he was pushed over to his death. Maybe his wife and "friend" wanted him gone. I'm not stating that's the case, but I certainly think the police needs to investigate this further before giving up and chalking this up as another accident. Something doesn't add up...

Brian was one of the Best people I ever met! He was a GREAT person, and I'm sure will be missed by so many people!

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