Authorities recover body of teen boy missing in Juneau swimming incident

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – Juneau police say they have recovered the body of a teenage boy who went missing while swimming near a popular hiking trail in Southeast Alaska.

A release from the Juneau Police Department a group of three 17-year-old boys hiked out Saturday on the Treadwell Trail in the community of Douglas — across the Gastineau Channel from Alaska’s capitol city — to a man-made pond known as the Glory Hole to “hike, dive and swim.”

Police said one of the boys called 911 around 4:45 p.m. to report that one of them had jumped off a 25- to 30-foot cliff, briefly resurfaced, but never made it back to shore, prompting an emergency response from Capital City Fire/Rescue. Searchers with the rescue team and Juneau Mountain Rescue could not find the teen, and police said that the search was made more difficult due to the steep and mountainous terrain around the swimming hole.

The department requested help from the Alaska State Troopers around 5:40 p.m. Saturday, according to AST. Once troopers were alerted to the mission, Juneau police said the body was recovered just past 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Authorities said his family was notified and that the “circumstances surrounding his death are not considered suspicious.”

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