Aug. 2, 2007: Elizabeth Ellis, 50, of Escondido, Calif., while tubing. She was trapped in a logjam .
Chelan County Sheriff - Sheriff Mike Harum reports on 08/02/07 at approx 4:30 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a missing person in the Wenatchee River near Monitor. Along with units from the Cashmere and Monitor Fire Departments, Deputies arrived on scene to search the banks of the river, while the Sheriff’s Office white-water raft was deployed with rescue personnel at the Monitor Park.
According to family members, Elizabeth Ellis, age 50, of Escondido, CA, along with husband John and adult daughter Stephanie, was floating the river on an inner-tube. The family was swept into a deep and fast moving channel, forcing them into a large area of fallen trees along the riverbank. Elizabeth Ellis fell into the water and was last seen clinging onto branches of a fallen tree in swift water. Shortly thereafter, she disappeared beneath the surface of the water, and became trapped under the overgrowth of brush and trees along the riverbank. At approximately 5:25 p.m., enough brush was cleared to reach the victim, who died at the scene. Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris will investigate the cause of death.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department personnel stress that although the river volume has decreased, there are still many areas that pose a very real danger to anyone attempting to float the Wenatchee River.
