Alaska News

Searchers find body of 5-year-old Ketchikan boy missing after hiking trip, troopers say

Searchers on Saturday found the body of a 5-year-old Ketchikan boy who was described as missing after a hike reportedly went awry days earlier, Alaska State Troopers said.

Jaxson Brown was hiking in the vicinity of the Lunch Creek Trail with his mother, Jennifer Treat, 36, on Wednesday afternoon when the two of them lost the trail, troopers wrote in an online report. They became disoriented while hiking, according to troopers.

After spending the night together, “Treat left Jaxson to seek help on her own, as he was reportedly tired and didn’t want to hike anymore," troopers wrote. “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.”

Twenty searchers looked for Jaxson on the ground, and a Coast Guard helicopter supported the search by air, according to troopers. Ground searchers found him dead around 2:45 p.m. Saturday, troopers said.

Next of kin have been notified. The nature of Jaxson’s death was unclear from the troopers’ report.

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