The frantic search for a boy who was reported missing last week in Washington state reached a tragic end Sunday evening when his body was recovered from the area around the Big Four Ice Caves in Verlot, northeast of Seattle.
The boy, 6, was reported missing around 6 p.m., according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, prompting rescue teams on both the ground and in helicopter to launch a search for him.
After a few hours of searching, the boy was found dead just before 9 p.m. Details about his death are limited, but a preliminary statement issued by the sheriff's office suggests that it did not involve the ice caves.
The area in and around the Big Four Ice Caves can be dangerous, and this isn't the first time a death related to the caves has occurred. As evidence, the caves had been closed since July 6 and just reopened on Friday with new warning signs.
The caves were closed in July after 34-year-old Anna L. Santana, 34, of Moreno Valley, Calif., died in the popular tourist spot after rock and ice fell and killed her. She was reported missing following the incident and was located at the back of one cave by Snohomish County Sheriff's Office search-and-rescue personnel. Technical rescue personnel who examined the cave reported that the collapse of rock and ice occurred at the back of the cave where officials found her.
An autopsy conducted by a local medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was blunt force injuries to the head and torso and that it had been an accident. Five other people were injured during the incident, including Santana's brother who died of his injuries later in October.
The Big Four Caves have seen a few changes recently, and prior to the July incident, the U.S. Forest Service warned hikers against entering the Big Four Ice Caves after several sections of the cave collapsed due to unusually warm spring temperatures.
"The cave is in a condition that we would normally not see until at least September - large, inviting and collapsing," Lead Field Ranger Matthew Riggen said in May.
Three people have died in cave collapses over the past five years.
