Man's body recovered near Big Eddy Public Water Access

UPDATE: The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday, June 11, identified the drowning victim as 35-year-old Joseph R. Pike of Sultan.

Two people have now died in the Skykomish River in as many weeks.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reports the body of a transient man in his 30s was recovered downstream from the Big Eddy Public Water Access site around 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 5.

Law enforcement responded to the area earlier in the day for reports of a man acting erratically and trespassing, according a sheriff’s office news release.

“When patrol units arrived, the man jumped into the back of one of the patrol pickups twice,” the release states. “After talking with man and assessing that he was not a threat to others, the man left the area around 2 p.m.”

Witnesses called 911 around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to report they had seen the man jump into the water and drift downstream.

The sheriff’s office deployed search and rescue, its dive team and SnoHAWK1 chopper, and was aided by crews from Snohomish County Fire Districts 26 and 7.

They located the man, who is believed to be from the Gold Bar/Sultan area, around 5:30 p.m., according to the news release.

The identification of the man will be handled by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, as well as cause and manner of death.

Monroe resident Junior Silva, 24, was carried away while swimming in the Skykomish River at Eagle Falls on Memorial Day. Searchers found his body on June 2.

This makes four backcountry drowning deaths in Snohomish County so far this year. Bothell resident Sarah Zimmerman, 30, was found floating in the water at Wallace Falls State Park on April 24, and 22-year-old Jazmine Weitlauf of Monroe drowned at Cedar Ponds on April 12. Her body was recovered nine days later.

The sheriff’s office continues to caution people that river conditions are not safe.

“Response to backcountry rescue and recovery efforts can be extremely dangerous and put rescue personnel and volunteers at risk,” the release states. “Swimming in Snohomish County rivers, especially near waterfalls, is not recommended due to swift currents, hidden snags/drop-offs and cold water temperatures, even for those who consider themselves to be strong swimmers.”

There were also several water-related deaths last summer, including Haylei Hughes, who reportedly fell at Wallace Falls, and Adrian Jovanovic and Shauna Geffon, who both fell and drowned at Sunset Falls.