CAMP VERDE, AZ -- A 15-year-old Boy Scout died on Saturday morning while hiking at the bottom of West Clear Creek Canyon in Camp Verde.
The victim was reportedly hiking with two Boy Scout leaders and two other Boy Scouts, who were all from Las Vegas, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses said that the victim had jumped off of a boulder that was 2 or 3 feet off of the ground, landed on his feet, looked back at one of the other boys and suddenly collapsed.
One of the leaders drove to the highway in order to get a signal to his cell phone to call the Yavapai County 911 Center, while the other scouts and scout leader were busy performing CPR on the victim.
The incident was reported to Emergency Communications Specialists of the Northern Arizona Regional 911 Reception center at approximately 8:45 a.m., saying that the boy had collapsed and was not breathing.
Officials from Rim County Rescue, Pine Strawberry Fire Department, Camp Verde Fire Department and a helicopter from an Arizona Department of Public Safety all arrived at the scene.
The victim was removed from the canyon using a short-haul technique and transported him to
Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office in Flagstaff.
This investigation is still pending and the cause of death of the boy is undetermined.
