Issaquah Teen Who Drowned In Snoqualmie River Identified

ISSAQUAH, WA - The King County Medical Examiner's Office has released the identity of the teen who died last week while swimming with friends along the Snoqualmie River. Samuel Kim, 16, died of asphyxia due to drowning, according to the medical examiner. According to reports, Kim was a student at Issaquah High School.

Kim was swimming with two friends along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in the evening on May 21. Kim and another teen went over a waterfall, which led to Kim's drowning. The other teen who went over the waterfall was able to swim to safety.

Crews from King County searched the river for Kim the night of his disappearance, but due to treacherous conditions, were unable to locate his body until May 25. Kim was found about 450 feet downriver from the waterfall.

As temperatures have warmed, there have been a number of water-related accidents over the last week. On Monday night, a man slipped and fell into the Puyallup River near Sumner; rescue crews searched for him on Monday night, but were unable to locate him. Also on Monday, two canoeists fell into the Skykomish River near Gold Bar, but were found safe. On May 23, three people tubing along the Green River fell in, and one woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.

Tony Gomez, King County Public Health's injury prevention manager, has said that local residents should "stay the hell out of the water." That's because rivers are running fast and cold due to melting snowpack in the Cascades.

Image via King County Sheriff