2014 — March 22, Mudslide, State Route 530, near Oso, Snohomish Co., WA –43-44

— 44  Deaths. Blanchard; including the indirect suicide fatality of a relative of two of the victims.

— 43  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of July 23, 2014, 9:00 AM.

 

Direct:

—  43  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of July 23, 2014, 9:00 AM.

—  41  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 22, 2014, 7:30 AM.

—  39  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 16, 2014, 7:30 AM.

—  36  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 10, 2014, 7:30 AM.

—  35  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 9, 2014 at 7:30 AM

—  34  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 8, 2014 at 7:30 AM

—  30  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update, April 4, 2014, 7:30 AM.[1]

—  30  Snohomish Co. Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 3, 2014 at 7:30 AM

—  29  AP (Valdes and Baumann). “Waters Recede, Helping Search for…Victims.” 4-2-2014.

—  28  Carter, Cabrera and Brumfield. “Washington landslide: Families…,” CNN, 4-1-2014.

–~28  Kaminsky/Cohen. “Victims of Washington mudslide…” Reuters, 3-30-2014[2]

—  28  Weise, E. “Mudslide death toll at 28; missing list drops to 20.” USA Today, 4-2-2014.[3]

—>25  Kaminsky. “US mudslide death toll expected to soar…” Reuters. 3-27-2014.[4]

—  24  Fox News. “Hope of finding mudslide survivors dims…death toll rises to 24.” 3-26-2014.

—  14  Fox News. “Washington mudslide rescue operation shifts to recovery…” 3-25-2014.[5]

 

Indirect:

— 1  Christopher Dombroski, 20 (nephew of Theresa and Steve Harris). Suicide, ~4-13-2014.[6]

 

Confirmed Dead

 

  1. Bejvl, Alan M., 21   Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-29-2014.
  2. Bellomo, Shelly L., 55   Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  3. DeQuilettes, Ronald P., 52 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update, 4-17-2014, 7:30 am.
  4. Durnell, Thomas P., 65   Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-2-2014.
  5. Farnes, Adam M., 23   Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-29-2014.
  6. Farnes, Julie A., 59   Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-1-2014, 4:30 PM
  7. Gullikson, Bonnie J., 91 Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-11-2014, 7:30 AM.
  8. Gustafson, Mark J., 54   Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-11-2014, 7:30 AM.
  9. Hadaway, Steven N., 53[7] Snohomish Sheriff’s Office, 4-9-2014, 9:30 AM.[8]
  10. Halstead, Gloria J., 67   Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-3-2014, 7:30 AM
  11. Halstead, Jerry L., 75   Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-4-2014, 4:30 PM
  12. Harris, Denver, 14   Snohomish Co. MEO. Media Update as of 4-11-2014, 7:30 AM.
  13. Harris, Stephen D., 52   Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-22-2014, 7:30 AM.
  14. Harris, Teresa C., 53    Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-22-2014, 7:30 AM.
  15. Huestis, Sanoah, 4 months Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  16. Jefferds, Christina A., 45[9] Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-27-2014.
  17. Lennick, Amanda B., 31 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  18. Logan, Gerald E, 63 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  19. Mangual, Jovan E., 13 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  20. McPherson, Linda L., 69 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-27-2014.
  21. Miller, Joseph R., 47 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-28-2014.
  22. Miller, Larry J., 58 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update, 4-8-2014, 7:30 am.
  23. Miller, Sandra K., 64   Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update, 4-17-2014, 7:30 am.
  24. Neal, Stephen A., 55[10] Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-27-2014.
  25. Pearson, Michael W., 74 Snohomish MEO. Media Update as of 4-11-2014, 7:30 AM.
  26. Raffo, Summer R., 36 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-28-2014.[11]
  27. Regelbrugge, L. John III, 49 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-29-2014.[12]
  28. Regelbrugge, Kris, 44 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 7-23-2014.
  29. Ruthven, Hunter, 6 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-29-2014.
  30. Ruthven, Katie F., 34 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-2-2014.
  31. Ruthven, Shane M., 41[13] Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-28-2014.
  32. Ruthven, Wyatt M., 4 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update, 4-17-2014, 7:30 am.
  33. Satterlee, Mary “Marcy,” 61 SnohomishCounty Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-8-2014.
  34. Satterlee, Thom E., 65 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-1-2014.
  35. Slauson, Lon E., 60 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-1-2014.
  36. Spillers, Billy, 30 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-8-2014.
  37. Spillers, Brooke, 2 Snohomish Med. Ex. Of. Media Update, 4-9-2014, 7:30 AM.
  38. Spillers, Kaylee B., 5 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-27-2014.
  39. Vandenburg, Judee S., 64 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  40. Vandenburg, Lewis F., 71 Snohomish County Med. Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-28-2014.
  41. Ward, Brandy L, 58 Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-31-2014.
  42. Webb, Delaney M., 19[14] Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 4-2-2014.
  43. Welsh, William E., 66[15] Snohomish County Ex. Of. Media Update as of 3-27-2014.

 

  Narrative Information

 

Fox, March 25: “Authorities believe that the slide destroyed 35 homes, as well as 13 manufactured homes, including RVs, and at least one cabin. Part of the difficulty in determining the exact number of missing people comes from authorities not knowing how many of the homes, some of which are kept for vacationing visitors, were occupied at the time of the slide. Authorities also believe some nonresidents may have been working in the area, while some victims may have been passing through in their cars on nearby State Highway 530…Another obstacle has been the chaotic nature of the debris field itself. In some places, the ground is covered by 15 feet of rubble.”  (Fox News. “Washington mudslide rescue operation shifts to recovery…3-25-2014.)

 

UPI, April 16: “Oso, Wash., April 16 (UPI) — Missing U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Dombroski, 20, killed himself after having recently spent time searching for his aunt and uncle, who remain missing in the Oso, Wash., mudslide. Dombroski told his family he was taking a hike Sunday and rode his motorcycle to a trail in a forest near State Route 8, where he left on foot. He was reported missing Sunday and his body was found Tuesday in the Capitol State Forest. Military officials said he killed himself. Dombroski had recently taken an emergency leave of absence from the Army to help search for his aunt and uncle, Theresa Harris, 53, and Steve Harris, 52, who went missing after the Oso mudslide. The young soldier was deployed to Afghanistan between November 2012 and July 2013….”  (UPI (Danielle Haynes). “Soldier who killed himself was nephew of missing mudslide couple.” 4-16-2014.)

 

April 28: “Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said the county will end the ‘active search’ for victims of the March 22 mudslide that killed at least 41 people and covered state Highway 530 near Oso. He acknowledged there is a possibility the victims will not be recovered. However, he stressed that the search will continue, but will be far more limited in scope and manpower. He noted that at its peak, the search involved as many as 1,000 people a day. It will now involve about 30 people. Many of the support workers in Arlington will return to their normal jobs….He said deciding to scale back the search was difficult because ‘we know Kris [Regelbrugge] and Steve [Hadaway]‘s families are both looking for closure.’….Hadaway’s body is believed to be in a wet, deep pool that will need to be drained before further searching is practical, Trenary said….” (Jack Broom. “Officials scale back search for Oso mudslide victims.” Seattle Times, 4-28-2014.)

Sources

 

Associated Press (Manuel Valdes and Lisa Baumann). “Waters Recede, Helping Search for Mudslide Victims.” 4-2-2014. Accessed 4-2-2014 at: http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/waters-recede-helping-search-mudslide-victims

 

Broom, Jack. “Officials scale back search for Oso mudslide victims.” Seattle Times, 4-28-2014. Accessed 4-29-2014 at: http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/04/officials-are-ending-search-for-oso-mudslide-victims/

 

Carter, Chelsea J., Ana Cabrera and Ben Brumfield. “Washington landslide: Families…,” CNN, 4-1-2014. At: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/us/washington-landslide-vignettes/index.html

 

Fox News. “Hope of finding mudslide survivors dims as unofficial death toll rises to 24.” 3-26-2014. At: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/26/24-killed-in-big-wash-mudslide-officials-say/

 

Fox News. “Washington mudslide rescue operation shifts to recovery mission, official says.” 3-25-2014. Accessed at: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/25/2-killed-in-big-wash-mudslide-sheriff-office-says/

 

HeraldNet, Everett, WA. “Day 27 list of mudslide victims.” 4-17-2014. Accessed 4-17-2014 at: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140417/NEWS01/140419155/Day-27-list-of-mudslide-victims

 

Kalfsbeek, Elizabeth and Associated Press, “Body of Navy commander’s wife reportedly found in Wash. Mudslide debris,” Daily Democrat, Woodland, CA, 3-27-2014. Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.dailydemocrat.com/breakingnews/ci_25429864/body-navy-commanders-wife-reportedly-found-wash-mudslide

 

Kaminsky, Jonathan (Reuters). “US mudslide death toll expected to soar as survivors sought. 3-27-2014. Accessed 3-27-2014 at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/27/us-usa-mudslide-washingtonstate-idUSBREA2L0R020140327

 

Kaminsky, Jonathan and Bryan Cohen. “Victims of Washington mudslide remembered at tearful church services.” Reuters, 3-30-2014. Accessed 3-30-2014 at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/30/us-usa-mudslide-washingtonstate-idUSBREA2L0R020140330

 

KING 5 TV. “Remembering Those Lost.” 4-9-2014. Accessed 4-9-2014 at: http://www.king5.com/news/oso-landslide/remembering

 

KIRO 7 TV. “Photos: People reported missing, dead in Oso mudslide.” 4-3-2014. Accessed 4-3-2014: http://www.kirotv.com/gallery/news/photos-people-reported-missing-snohomish-county-mu/gCJmJ/#4811359

 

Seattle Times. “Remembering the victims of the Oso mudslide.” 3-25-2014. Accessed 4-2-2014 at: http://seattletimes.com/flatpages/local/victimsoftheosomudslide.html

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 1, 2014 at 4:30 PM. Accessed 4-3-2014 at: http://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3555

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 3, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: http://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3558

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 4, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3568

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 4, 2014 at 4:30 AM. Accessed at: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3572

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 8, 2014 at 7:30 AM

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 9, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3588

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 10, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3590

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 11, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3594

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 16, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3606

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 17, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: http://snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3608

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of April 22, 2014 at 7:30 AM. Accessed at: http://snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3615

 

Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Media Update as of July 23, 2014, at 9:00 AM. Accessed 6-3-2015 at: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:S-Hek150EXAJ:snohomishcountywa.gov/2389/Medical-Examiners-Report-530-Slide+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. “SR 530 Slide Area Missing Person List, Updated 4-9-2014, 9:30 a.m. Accessed 4-9-2014: https://wa-snohomishcounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3586

 

UPI (Danielle Haynes). “Soldier who killed himself was nephew of missing mudslide couple.” 4-16-2014. Accessed 4-17-2014 at: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/04/16/Soldier-who-killed-himself-was-nephew-of-missing-mudslide-couple/1551397651247/?spt=hts&or=15

 

Weise, Elizabeth. “Mudslide death toll at 28; missing list drops to 20.” USA Today, 4-2-2014. Accessed 4-2-2014 at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/01/oso-landslide-death-toll-27/7161005/

 

Young, Bob “With camo rings, young couple planned wedding by the river.” Seattle Times, 3-28-2014. At: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023244551_mudslideyoungcouplexml.html

 

 

[1] Notes the MEO “has received a total of 30 victims from the State Route 530 Slide, has positively identified 28, and is working diligently on identifying the remaining victims…The identity of #28 will be released following notification of next of kin.”

[2] 28 presumed dead, noting “official tally” still at 18 “identified by medical examiners,” with missing down to 30.

[3] Notes list of missing had dropped to 20 and that 22 of the 28 dead had been positively identified. As of April 1 the search area covered abut 300 acres with as much as 30% still under as much as 80 feet of mud.

[4] Notes “…90 people still missing five days after…”

[5] Notes that as many as 176 people remain missing, and that 22-week-old baby remained in critical condition.

[6] Took emergency leave from US Army to search for aunt and uncle. Went missing April 13; body found April 15, Capitol State Forest. (UPI. “Soldier who killed himself was nephew of missing mudslide couple.” 4-16-2014.)

[7] One of three workers at Lennick residence on Steelhead Drive. Amanda Lennick and two other workers killed.

[8] Cites a 5-27-2014 report on the completion of the examination and identification of Mr. Hadaway’s body.

[9] Grandmother of 4-month old victim Sanoah Huestis. She was babysitting for her daughter, Natasha Huestis. (Carter, Cabrera and Brumfield. CNN, 4-1-2014.)

[10] A plumber who was working at the Lennick residence on Steelhead Drive. (Carter, et al. CNN, 4-1-2014.)

[11] She was driving through the area on Washington State Highway 530 to work near Arlington when mudslide hit. Carter, Cabrera and Brumfield. CNN, 4-1-2014

[12] Active duty Navy Commander.

[13] Seattle Times. “Remembering…” 3-25-2014, has age as 43.

[14] Fiancé of 21-year-old victim Alan Bejvl.

[15] An electrician who was working at the Lennick residence on Steelhead Drive. (Carter, et al., CNN, 4-1-2014.)