Recovering body of woman killed in Matlock-area fall proves to be difficult

MATLOCK, Wash. — Recovering the body of a woman who fell to her death while hunting in Grays Harbor County has proved to be a difficult task.

On Friday, Oct. 25, at about 7:22 p.m., Grays Harbor County deputies were told a hiking accident happened off Kelly Road in the Matlock area.

It was reported that a hunter had fallen through an old train trestle and ended up on the riverbank about 100 to 150 feet below.

Mason County firefighters were called to the scene, but asked for help from the sheriff’s office in getting to the victim below. But because of the steep landscape, neither deputies nor firefighters were able to safely reach the victim.

Switching to another tactic, an Aberdeen Police officer arrived with a drone and flew it to the victim’s location. From the video, it was determined that the woman was dead, and was believed to have died upon impact with the ground.

Though firefighters and deputies wanted to recover the victim’s body as soon as possible, the steep terrain and bad weather kept them from reaching her that night. They asked for the help of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Rescue Team (SORT), but by the time the team climbed to the location, the rising river had swept the victim’s body downstream.

As of Sunday, the Thurston County Sheriff’s SORT — specifically trained in swift water rescue — is working with Mason County SORT to find and recover the victim.

The victim was identified as 24-year-old Haley Benjamin of Elma.

“Our condolences go out to her family and friends,” the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office appreciates all the multi-jurisdictional support we have received during this tragic event. Operations are ongoing.”

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