A missing USS Nimitz sailor has been found dead in the Olympic National Forest following a week-long search in the forest's Buckhorn Wilderness.
Nuclear Electrician's Mate Second Class Jeremiah Adams, 24, was reported missing last Monday morning after he didn't show up for work.
Adams was last heard from Friday, May 4, before he left for a day hike on the Olympic Peninsula. He did not specify to friends which trail he planned to hike, but reportedly told them it would take him about an hour and a half drive to get to the trailhead.
Adams' vehicle, a silver 2013 Ford Fiesta, was found Monday parked at the Lower Greywolf trailhead, which is south of Blyn, near Sequim in Clallam County.
Authorities believe Adams followed a primitive trail that continued beyond the washed-out bridge near the end of Lower Greywolf trail. He likely fell over the edge of the trail, where his body was discovered 300 feet down in a ravine.
A group of hikers reported to authorities around 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon they had seen a glimpse of something that looked like clothing through the densely forested canopy of the ravine, Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King said.
Crews from Clallam County Search and Rescue hiked to the bottom of the ravine and recovered the body late Saturday evening.
"It's heart-wrenching," King said. "At least we do have some closure, because that's not always the case, especially in the Olympic Wilderness."
Authorities believe Adams died as a result of the fall. No signs of foul play were detected.
His body is being held at a local funeral home pending an autopsy.
