She Says Boy Was Too Tired to Walk. Now, a Grim Find

The body of a 5-year-old boy has been found near an Alaskan hiking trail days after his mother left him in search of help. Ketchikan's Jennifer Treat, 36, and her son, Jaxson Brown, had set out on the 13.7-mile Lunch Creek Trail on Revillagigedo Island on Wednesday before losing their way, per the Anchorage Daily News. They spent a night outdoors before Treat left Jaxson, who "was reportedly tired and didn't want to hike anymore," according to Alaska State Troopers. But "in her rush to find help, Treat reportedly tripped on a root and significantly injured her leg."

Treat was located Friday and "search and rescue efforts immediately began for Jaxson." A Coast Guard helicopter and about 20 troopers scoured the area before his body was found around 2:45pm Saturday. No cause of death has been released. The trail is rated "difficult" on the hiking website AllTrails, where one review describes an "easy" beginning followed by a "steep" section with "large tree root structures," per People. Another review describes difficulties in navigating as "there are quite a few fallen trees in the path, and a couple big mud/branch fields." (More Alaska stories.)