2 men who died in Skykomish River are identified

GOLD BAR — Two men who died in the Skykomish River over the weekend were identified Tuesday by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Christopher Fox, 54, and Tad Henry, 56, were were believed to be camping Saturday by Sunset Falls before they went tubing in the Skykomish River without life vests or helmets.

Bystanders saw the two men in the water Saturday and called authorities around 2 p.m.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office sent a search-and-rescue team to the Cable Drop Trail near Sunset Falls, the agency reported. Witnesses helped pull the men from the river to attempt CPR, but they had died. Authorities don’t know how long they were in the water, Snohomish County Fire District 26 Chief Eric Andrews said.

Fox was from Seattle. Henry was from Shoreline.

The cause and manner of their deaths is pending, according to the medical examiner’s office.

This was part of a broader spate of deaths in the county’s waterways this summer. Authorities have urged people to bring a whistle to alert passersby of danger, to wear life jackets and helmets and to use proper equipment.

Andrews also said people should know what the water ahead is like because unexpected changes in conditions can cause problems.