Woman Who Died At Wallace Falls Identified

GOLD BAR, WA - The woman who died Tuesday at Wallace Falls State Park - the third person to die there since last July - has been identified as a 30-year-old Bothell woman. Sarah A. Zimmerman accidentally drowned, according to the Snohomish County medical examiner.

Zimmerman was spotted floating in a pool at the bottom of the falls by another hiker, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

"Visitors to the area who were taking photos noticed the woman's body bobbing in the water and called 911 around 4 p.m.," sheriff's spokeswoman Shari Ireton wrote in a press release Tuesday. "Fire District 26, assisted by Fire District 7, arrived on-scene to search the waters and the Sheriff's Office helicopter, SnoHAWK1, conducted an aerial search."

Washington State Parks spokeswoman Toni Droscher told Patch on Thursday that parks employees inspect parks when deaths occur. Park officials installed new signs last fall after Yuri Natanzon, 32, of Seattle, died at Wallace Falls while trying to retrieve his dog.

In July 2017, Haylei Hughes, 18, died at the state park after she and two friends ventured out into the falls to take photos. She fell off the waterfall and into the Wallace River. Hughes had recently moved to the Seattle area to play soccer for the Seattle Stars FC in the Northwest Premier League.

Image courtesy Washington State Parks