The body of a retired US Army sergeant who was swept away in a river during a storm has been located in Washington state over the weekend. Zuleika Witron, a 28-year-old Army veteran, was found in the Carbon River nearly a week after the incident, as reported by KOMO News. Witron’s body was discovered by a civilian operating a drone in the area, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Zuleika Witron, a former Army veteran, was discovered in the Carbon River on Friday morning. KOMO News
After almost a week since the reported incident during a storm, the body of 28-year-old Witron was found. KOMO News
Kiara Witron, her younger sister, expressed a mix of emotions, saying, “Of course, my family and I, we’re all broken, but it’s a huge sense of relief that we finally found my sister so we could say goodbye to her.” She added, “I spent some time with her. I said goodbye. I told her things I’ve been wanting to tell her.”
Witron, who served six years in the US Army as a staff sergeant stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), was a medic in the Army, as stated by her sister. Hundreds of volunteers, including Dustin Garrett, participated in the search efforts. Garrett, who spotted something in the river based on a Facebook tip, used his drone to investigate further.
While exploring the riverbanks with her girlfriend and dogs, Witron slipped and fell into the water last Sunday. KOMO News
Kiara explained the situation, saying, “The dog was a little further up ahead of her and the dog was on a slippery rock and she was starting to slip so my sister kind of panicked and lunged to grab her away from the little rock or the cliff. They ended up both slipping and falling into the water together.”
Following the river incident, a collaborative recovery mission was initiated by local and state agencies. Witron’s dog was rescued downstream, while the search for Witron continued. Kiara expressed gratitude towards the community, stating, “I couldn’t appreciate the community more. They did everything that they could to help us.”
She concluded with a heartfelt tribute to her sister, “I want her to be remembered as someone who put everybody else before herself. Prime example is her going after her dog and her dog still being here today.”
