Boy, 5, Found Dead 3 Days After Mom Tried to Find Help After They Got Lost on Hike
The remains of a 5-year-old boy were tragically discovered near an Alaskan trail on Saturday, days after he and his mother became lost during a hike.
According to Alaska State Troopers, Jaxson Brown and his mother, 36-year-old Jennifer Treat, were hiking along Lunch Creek Trail on Wednesday when they became “disoriented” and lost their path. After spending the night outdoors, Treat decided to leave Jaxson on his own so she could find help, but soon became injured along the trail.
“Treat left Jaxson to seek help on her own, as he was reportedly tired and didn’t want to hike anymore,” the troopers wrote in a statement to their website. “In her rush to find help, Treat reportedly tripped on a root and significantly injured her leg. Treat was found the following day and search and rescue efforts immediately began for Jaxson.”
She was found the following day and search and rescue teams were immediately sent out to locate Jaxson. According to the AST, about 20 ground troopers and a Coast Guard helicopter were utilized in their efforts.
Searchers then found Jaxson dead around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Troopers would not comment when reached by PEOPLE on Monday. Jaxson’s cause of death has not yet been released.
“Next of kin has been notified,” the troopers said in their final update on March 28. “AST would like to thank its partner agencies as well as the volunteer search and rescue personnel.”
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According to the hiking website All Trails, the 13.7 mile-long Lunch Creek Trail is rated as “difficult.”
“First half Of the way up is easy and some of the most scenic forest I’ve hiked,” wrote one reviewer on the website. “It felt tropical with ferns and giant Lilly pad-like greens. Beautiful waterfall. The second half is a lot harder. Steep, up and down over large tree root structures with awkward footing and lots of mud.”
Another reviewer mentioned finding the trail tough to navigate in certain areas.
“At one point I accidentally took a spur instead of the trail, and came across a small fire ring made of rocks, near the creek,” they wrote.
“The actual trail turns right, and crosses a tiny stream,” they continued. “After that, I would say was the most difficult part to navigate, since there are quite a few fallen trees in the path, and a couple big mud/branch fields, so it was hard to tell where the trail was.”
from PEOPLE.com https://people.com/human-interest/boy-found-dead-days-after-mom-triedf-finding-help-lost-on-hike/
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