GOLD BAR — Crews recovered the body of an East Snohomish County man Tuesday evening from the Skykomish River downstream from the Big Eddy public access site.
The man jumped into the water around 4:30 p.m. His body was recovered around 6 p.m., the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday night.
The man is believed to be a transient in his mid 30s and from the Gold Bar-Sultan area.
The search took place in the North Fork Skykomish River near Gold Bar.
The sheriff’s office worked with Snohomish County Fire Districts 26 and 7 to recover the body.
Earlier in the day, patrol deputies responded to several 911 calls from witnesses reporting a man acting erratically and trespassing in the area, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. When patrol units arrived, the man twice jumped into the back of one of the patrol pickups. After talking with the man and assessing that he was not a threat to others, the man left the area around 2 p.m.
Around 4:30 p.m. witnesses at the Big Eddy site called 911 to report that they had seen the same man jumping into the water and drifting downstream, appearing to be in distress. Patrol, Search and Rescue, a dive team, as well as the local fire agencies, were called. The sheriff’s office helicopter, SnoHAWK1, flew overhead.
The body was found around 5:30 p.m. downstream from Big Eddy.
Identification of the man, as well as cause and manner of death, will be determined by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Tuesday’s incident was the fourth drowning in backcountry rivers near waterfalls this year, according to county officials.
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