In a tragic turn of events, an Oregon father is under scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding his toddler’s disappearance and subsequent drowning. Court documents recently unveiled suggest that Aaron Paulsen was engrossed in a TV series when his 2-year-old son, Dane, wandered off from their rural residence in Siletz and tragically ended up in a nearby river.
Paulsen is now facing charges of child neglect following the heartbreaking incident on March 1, 2025. The latest court documents, disclosed by KATU, indicate that during this critical time, Paulsen was absorbed in binge-watching, allowing Dane to slip unnoticed through the back sliding door of their home by the river.
Responsibility for Dane’s safety was reportedly given to Paulsen by the boy’s mother, Cha Met Jackson, before she left the house. According to the court filings, Jackson had entrusted Paulsen with ensuring Dane stayed inside.
In a startling revelation, Jackson told authorities she had heard Dane knocking on the door of the trailer situated on their property while she was inside. However, thinking to herself, “oh sh-t the baby’s out,” she continued with her cleaning tasks instead of opening the door, as prosecutors stated.
During a court session in November, District Attorney Jenna Wallace highlighted a crucial detail reported by the Lincoln Chronicle: Dane was unsupervised for approximately 15 minutes before his parents realized he was missing, a lapse that proved devastating.
District Attorney Jenna Wallace revealed during a November court hearing that “Dane was left unattended for about 15 minutes before [his] parents noticed that he was missing,” the Lincoln Chronicle reported.
Cops later discovered a toddler footprint at the edge of the river near the couple’s home and a toy Dane had been playing with before he disappeared.
The parents were aware that Dane “loved the water, was not fearful of the water, but did not know how to swim,” according to the documents obtained by KATU.
After an extensive 11-day search, the toddler’s body was discovered in the Siletz River by an independent diver.
Court documents also revealed an eerie pattern of complaints from neighbors who reported spotting Dane and his older sister playing outside unattended.
Before the couple lived in Siletz, a neighbor called the police to report child neglect after stating it wasn’t “uncommon” for the family’s daughter “to be left outside playing in the yard or street unsupervised for 30-60 minutes as a toddler,” the outlet reported.
A teenager had also reported seeing Dane standing alone on a highway, wearing only a diaper and a blue sweater. The teen later brought the child back to his home.
A grand jury indicted Paulsen in October 2025, and he later pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor child neglect charges, according to the Lincoln Chronicle.
A newly filed motion says Oregon plans to call 20 witnesses to testify at the dad’s trial.
