A family camping trip in Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah turned into a nightmare when a 2-year-old disappeared. The child’s family contacted the Summit County Sheriff’s Office just after 10:15 a.m. June 14, 2025, to report the boy missing from the Manorlands area. Tragically, a civilian found the child unresponsive in a drainage ditch about an hour later.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, emergency responders rushed the child to a hospital in Wyoming. Medical personnel transferred him to a Salt Lake-area hospital a short time later, where staff pronounced him deceased.
Investigators determined the child and his family were staying in a fifth-wheel camper trailer near a cabin when he disappeared. The civilian found his body about a mile downstream from his family’s campsite.
“The Summit County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family during this incredibly difficult time. Our hearts are with them as they grieve this heartbreaking loss,” the sheriff’s office shared in the news release. “We also extend our sincere appreciation to our first responder partners in Wyoming for their assistance during this incident At this time, there is no indication that the incident is anything other than a tragic accident.”
Pediatrician Ellie Brownstein told Fox 13 that camping has hidden dangers that parents must understand.
“The biggest cause of unintentional death in kids [ages] 1-4 is drowning. Over half of drowning cases don’t happen in pools or in your house; they happen in a natural body of water,” she said. “Even streams, very little water can be dangerous because they can fall, and if it covers their nose and mouth, they may not understand how to get out of that situation.”
Brownstein added that parents must be extra vigilant with children in these situations.
“Kids reaching into a fire pit, falling, tripping, dropping something, reaching for something that’s fallen into a fire, could be a risk,” she explained. “People try heating or cooking in their tent, which can actually lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Kids are much more susceptible to those things than we are.”
The sheriff’s office noted that the incident remains under investigation, but police believe it was a “tragic accident.” No additional information will be released about the incident.
