NEED TO KNOW
- A 2-year-old boy has died after he disappeared during a family camping trip in Utah, according to authorities
- Officials said the boy was found “unresponsive in a runoff or drainage channel near Highway 150” an hour after he went missing on Saturday, June 14
- A family member reportedly was also hospitalized following what the local sheriff’s office called “a tragic accident”
Authorities say a 2-year-old boy has died after he disappeared during a family camping trip in Utah.
The toddler was reported missing in the Manorlands area around 10:15 a.m. local time on Saturday, June 14, according to a news release from the Summit County Sheriff Office (SCSO).
A preliminary investigation indicated the child was staying in a fifth-wheel camper trailer with family members prior to his disappearance.
About an hour after the toddler was reported missing, officials said a civilian “located the child unresponsive in a runoff or drainage channel near Highway 150,” officials said.
The child was found about one mile downstream from his family’s campsite, they added.
The boy was first transported to a Wyoming hospital before he was transferred to a Salt Lake-area hospital, where he later died.
The child’s name and cause of death have not been released. The boy was camping with a “large number” of family members when the incident occurred, SCSO spokesperson Skyler Talbot said on Sunday, June 16, according to NPR affiliate KPCW.
The waterway where the boy was found was within sight and walking distance of the campsite, Talbot added.
The incident appeared to be “a tragic accident,” according to the SCSO news release. An investigation is ongoing.
“The Summit County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family during this incredibly difficult time,” officials said. “Our hearts are with them as they grieve this heartbreaking loss.”
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Officials also thanked first responders in Wyoming “for their assistance during this incident.”
Talbot said one of the boy’s family members was airlifted to a hospital following the incident, according to KPCW.
The individual experienced a medical episode that was likely related to or triggered by the distressing event, he added.
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