Update: 2-year-old boy found dead in remote Summit County forest, death ruled a tragic accident

A forested area of the Uintas on June 16, 2025. Photo: Marina Knight // TownLift

UPDATED June 16, 10:28 a.m.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A 2-year-old boy reported missing Saturday morning in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest has died, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

While authorities initially said the child went missing in the Christmas Meadows area, they clarified Sunday that he was actually found unresponsive in a drainage ditch in the Manorlands area—about 60 miles north of the original location.

A civilian discovered the boy around 11:15 a.m., roughly a mile downstream from the family’s campsite. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Wyoming, then airlifted to a Salt Lake-area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The sheriff’s office said the boy’s death appears to be a tragic accident. A family member was also hospitalized for an unrelated medical issue.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A 2-year-old child has died after being reported missing Saturday morning in the Christmas Meadows camping area of northern Utah, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a report of the missing toddler on the morning of June 14 in Christmas Meadows, a remote camping area in the Uinta Mountains located a few miles off the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, about 36 miles from Evanston, Wyoming.

Law enforcement quickly located the child and airlifted them to a hospital in Wyoming. The child was later transferred to a Salt Lake-area hospital, where the child was pronounced deceased, authorities said.

A family member was also taken to the hospital for a separate medical issue, which officials said is not believed to be related to the child’s condition.

The incident remains under active investigation. No further details have been released at time of press.