Body found on Mt. Pugh believed to be missing Bothell hiker

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 12, 2026

EVERETT — The search for a missing hiker ended with the recovery of a body on Mt. Pugh outside of Darrington.

On Tuesday, mountain rescue crews found a body believed to be that of a 34-year-old Bothell man who was reported missing over the weekend, according to a release from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

A search began on Sunday when the man failed to show up for work after going for a hike alone, deputies said.

The man’s vehicle was found at the Mt. Pugh trailhead, sparking a three-day search that included volunteers from a half-dozen mountain rescue units, the release said.

During the initial search, the sheriff’s office said hikers coming down the trail provided information on the man’s last location.

On Monday, rescue units in coordination with sheriff’s office helicopters found the man’s hiking equipment at the top of a steep couloir, according to the release.

Rescue teams were dropped in by helicopter on Tuesday and scaled down the gully to recover the man’s body 800 feet below where his equipment was found, the sheriff’s office said.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will now work to identify the body and provide cause and manner of death.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the victim as 24 years old. Incorrect information was provided in the press release.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com