The now 3-day-old search for a missing Draper boy started again this morning in northeast Washington state.
A small trinket believed to belong to Jonathan Camacho, 12, was located Thursday near a cliff face, and tracking dogs indicated he had been in the area. A rescue team rappelled over a nearby cliff -- a sheer 80-foot precipice rising upward from Puget Sound -- and found further evidence, including disturbed earth and vegetation, leading investigators to hypothesize the boy may have accidently fallen into the ocean, an Island County Sheriff's news release stated."It is very rough water," Island County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith said Thursday.
Smith said this morning that searchers were waiting for tides to change.
Family members reported the boy missing Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. from Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island near Oak Harbor, Wash., about 15 miles south of the Canadian boarder.
Jonathan Camacho became separated from his twin brother, Jason Camacho, mother Patrea Camacho and a cousin from Logan as the foursome hiked on the main beach trail near the cliffs overlooking the often volatile waters of Puget Sound and Deception Pass, a news release stated.
Since Jonathan Camacho was reported missing a continuous air, ground and water search by nearly 100 people from a dozen agencies, plus civilian volunteers, has been coordinated by Deception Pass State Park Manager Bill Overby. A comprehensive grid search of the park's west side -- which is difficult to navigate, with sudden drop-offs, sharp inclines and dense forest -- was completed without success at 6 p.m. Thursday, the news release stated.
Overby and Island County Sheriff Mike Hawley expressed deep appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy and support for the Camacho family and the many food donations given to paid and volunteer searchers.
The Camacho family has been kept abreast of developments. The boy's father, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Byron Camacho, flew to Washington early Thursday to be with his family, the news release stated.
Jonathan Camacho is described as slight in build, about 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing 90 pounds with short, dark-brown hair and brown eyes. A digital image of identical twin brother Jason has been circulated through the Washington media and is being used in informational fliers, including publication by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the news release stated. The Camacho family resides on the 1400 East block of 12770 South in mideast Draper.
E-MAIL: bsnyder@desnews.com