The Thurston County Dive Rescue Team, alongside law enforcement and firefighters from 10 other local agencies, have recovered the body of a hunter who fell 100 to 150 feet from a train trestle in remote Grays Harbor County on Friday.

The victim has been identified as Haley Benjamin, 24, of Elma.

The hiking accident was reported off of Kelly Road in the Matlock area of Grays Harbor County just after 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 25, according to the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office.

Benjamin was reportedly walking on the abandoned railroad trestle with her family when a wooden tie broke beneath her, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

“It was reported that a hunter had fallen through an old train trestle at the location, coming to rest on the riverbank an estimated 100-150 feet below. The victim was unresponsive,” the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook post about the incident.

Mason County Fire, which was the first agency called to the scene, requested assistance from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office to attempt to reach Benjamin.

Deputies responded to the area to assist, but because of the steep terrain, deputies and fire personnel were unable to safely get to the victim. 

An Aberdeen Police Department officer soon responded with a drone, which he was able to fly to Benjamin's location.

“Unfortunately, the victim was confirmed deceased, and it was believed that they died upon initial contact with the ground below,” the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office stated. “Because of weather conditions and the steep terrain surrounding the victim, deputies and fire personnel were unable to safely access the victim that night.”

Mason County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Rescue Team (SORT) was called to assist in the recovery efforts, but by the time rescuers were able to traverse the steep terrain, the rising river had carried the victim downstream.

Multiple agencies — including the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, Thurston County SORT, the Thurston County Dive Team, the Mason County Sheriff's Office, Mason County SORT, the King County Sheriff's Office, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Olympia Fire Department, the Lacey Fire Department, the Aberdeen Police Department, the West Mason County Fire District, Grays Harbor County Emergency Management, the Aberdeen Fire Department, the Montesano Fire Department, the Hoquiam Fire Department, the Green Diamond Resource Company, the Grays Harbor Coroner's Office and the McLane Black Lake Fire Department — searched the area over the next four days in an attempt to locate and recover the victim.

They successfully located and recovered the body on Monday, Oct. 29.

“This operation involved multiple specialized resources, including rope systems, rafts, drones, and a crane. We are deeply thankful for the collaboration, expertise, and dedication of all involved,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook post about the incident. “After an extensive and coordinated effort, she was located and respectfully recovered with the assistance of Lacey Fire’s Rescue 31 crane rig and transferred to the Grays Harbor County Coroner.”

Both the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office expressed their “deepest sympathies” to Banjamin’s family.