NEW PLYMOUTH, Idaho — A young boy drowned on the Payette River Sunday while on a family outing.
According to the Payette County Sheriff’s Office, the boy had been playing in the water with his parents. Around 3:50 p.m., the Payette County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call from bystanders that the boy had gone missing on the river.
That prompted a massive search for the boy that included help from the Malheur County Sheriff's Office, Baker County Sheriff's Office, New Plymouth Fire Department, Payette Fire Department, Ontario Fire Department, Payette County Paramedics, and New Plymouth QRU.
The boy’s body was located at 8 p.m. near the Highway 52 bridge by the Malheur County Sheriff's Office. The Baker County Sheriff's Office Dive Team was able to recover the child around 9:45 p.m.
Payette County Coroner Keith Schuller has determined the cause of death as freshwater drowning. The boy is believed to be three or four years old.
The Malheur County Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook page Monday morning that the boy is Jax Hale, son of Michael and Jessica Hale. Michael Hale is a Senior Deputy with the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.
The post says the Hale family was seeking relief from the heat on the Payette River near New Plymouth when Jax went missing. Jax has an older brother and two sisters.
An account is being set up at a local bank to help the Hale family with expenses.
The Facebook post also thanked all those who assisted in the search:
I want to thank the Payette County Sheriff's Office, The New Plymouth Rural Fire Department, The Payette County Ambulance and Paramedics, Payette County Coroner's Office, Gem County Idaho Divers, Malheur County Search and Rescue, Baker County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Divers, Rod Blackstead and his helicopter, as well others that I failed to mention and the many people who called to offer assistance.
The Hale family is asking for privacy while they grieve their loss.
