AMERICAN FORK — An 8-year-old boy is dead and his mother was treated for hypothermia after the two fell into the swift and cold American Fork River in Utah and the child was swept out of rescuers’ reach, authorities said.
Jayson Robert Corporon and his mother fell into the river near the Roadhouse day use area just below Tibble Creek Reservoir at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Bystanders were able to reach the mother but could not get to the boy, who was last seen floating down the river. The boy was pulled from the river a couple of miles downstream about two hours after he fell in. Rescue teams were not notified until more than 20 minutes after the pair fell into the water because there is no cellular phone service in the area, police said. Due to heavy spring run-off of the snowmelt, the river is running very fast and is very deep. Authorities said an 8-year-old child would not have been able to stand up in the water given the conditions. Corporon was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. His mother was treated for hypothermia. At the time the pair fell in, the river water temperature was 46 degrees. Police continue to investigate the incident, but said they don’t consider it suspicious. The drowning was the fourth reported since May 29 in waterways around the state.
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