(PIERCE COUNTY, Wash.) — A 28-year-old woman is missing after she and her dog fell into a Washington state river, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday.
Zuleika Witron was hiking with her girlfriend and two dogs on Sunday when she and one of the dogs fell off the Fairfax Bridge and into the Carbon River in Washington, located in Mount Rainier National Park, police said.
The woman’s girlfriend “witnessed her being swept away in the heavy current and attempted to grab her before being swept away in the rapids,” police said.
Police said a water rescue team responded to the scene, accompanied by drones searching for Witron and her dog.
The area’s sharp rocks, steep inclines, thick brush and slippery conditions made it difficult for rescue teams to access, police said.
The dog was located about a quarter mile downstream and was returned to Witron’s girlfriend, police said.
Authorities continued to search 1.5 miles down the river for Witron, but she has not been found, police said.
A Coast Guard helicopter was requested and initially en route to the scene, but the “visibility became too limited to operate safely,” police said.
“For every minute that’s passing by, it’s not being helpful for us,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Carly Cappetto told Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO.
The initial search was suspended at approximately 6:13 p.m. on Sunday, police said.
On Monday, authorities said drones have continued to search for Witron and the “search and rescue mission has now been changed to a recovery mission.”
If the weather permits, officials will attempt to get “air assets to survey the canyon” for Witron, police said.
Witron’s sister said on Tuesday the family is now offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who is able to locate her.
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