Human remains found on the Sherman County side of the John Day River in March of 1989 have been identified through modern DNA testing methods as those of a man reported missing after a large flooding event in 1964.  The Oregon State Police says the remains have been identified as those of David West, Jr., who disappeared after trying to cross the John Day River during a flood in 1964.  West was known to cross the John Day often to feed cattle, to the point of building a makeshift cable car across the river to assist in navigating the waters.  On the day of the flood, West was thought to be feeding cattle near Ashwood.  A friend who went to check on him saw the cable car had been washed away, a large tree that held the cable was uprooted, West’s dog was injured on the bank of the river, and West himself was never heard from again.  The Oregon Medical Examiner’s Office had held the remains found in 1989, and recently a private DNA lab was able to reveal the name of two biological relatives of West, and they provided samples that confirmed the identification.