First hand account of Sunset Beach bomb discovery
Published 11:54 am Thursday, September 18, 2025
Mother and 2-year-old child were first to find it, mom said
A little after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Kayla Winkelhake and her 2-year-old son traveled to Sunset Beach to enjoy a late-summer day — what came next was a bomb discovery that set the entire region on edge.
“I have a 2-year-old child, and we were on our way to the beach … we always just stop and use the restroom before going out to the beach,” Winkelhake said. “Tuesday (was) 87 and sunny, and we’re just thinking, ‘it’s a beautiful day,’ and we walk to the bathroom, and (my son) … starts to open the door.”
Unbeknownst to Whinkelhake at the time, attached to the door was an explosive device.
“He noticed that something was up at the door, and he was like, ‘what?’ And so I just picked him up and noticed there was a backpack in there, and I’m like, that doesn’t really look normal. So we used the other bathroom,” Winkelhake said.
According to Winkelhake, inside the restroom was a backpack tied to the door with shoelaces; opening the door would have pulled the laces and ostensibly triggered what was inside.
Upon leaving the rest area, Winkelhake saw and notified a park ranger about the backpack, then enjoyed a day at the beach.
“We went to the beach and spent the day there. And when we came out, state troopers just had it all blocked off with caution tape,” Winkelhake said. It was not until the next morning when she learned from news reports that the contents of the backpack contained a bomb.
According to officials, Oregon State park staff called in Oregon State Police after the backpack was found by the ranger. The device was defused by a bomb squad including experts from OSP and the Salem Police Department. The OSP later said the case is still open and they are hoping that anyone with information will call 1(800) 442-0776 and reference case number SP25406805.
Since learning of the bomb, Winkelhake said her mind has been full of questions.
“I just keep thinking that we could have been blown up,” she said. “But I’m like, I don’t know anything about it. Was it a tiny bomb that wasn’t going to go off? Was it big?
“I literally just keep thinking that we could have been blown up. I think if I was walking first, I would have just opened the door while I was talking to him. But, because he was going first, I was just following him, and he stopped.”
Winkelhake said she has reached out to the park ranger, and hopes to speak with him regarding the incident. She said she has not been contacted by other law enforcement officials.
“It’s just kind of wild to think about,” Winklehake said. “No one should ever, anywhere, have to worry about a bomb. … But to think — a rural toilet, on the Oregon coast, on a Tuesday.”