8-year-old vanishes while visiting cave, Arizona cops say. He’s found the next day
_fitted.png "Tzion Maron, 8, is pictured. Rescuers found him about a half-mile from a cave in northern Arizona, deputies said.")
UPDATE: The 8-year-old boy was found 17 hours after he went missing, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
The original story is below.
An 8-year-old boy was visiting a cave with his family in northern Arizona when he vanished, deputies said.
The family lost sight of Tzion Maron at about 6:15 p.m. Aug. 21 at Lava River Cave near Flagstaff, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The family told authorities they had last seen him near the entrance of the cave.
Rescuers began searching for the child and looked for him through the night in the rain, deputies said.
But Tzion hasn’t been found.
More teams will look for him Aug. 22, deputies said.
Tzion is about 4 feet tall, weighs about 50 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen in a gray shirt with blue stripes, navy blue pants and sneakers.
Anyone who wants to volunteer to search can sign in at the Fort Valley Lodge.
Lava River Cave is a mile-long lava tube cave that formed by molten rock “that erupted from a volcanic vent in nearby Hart Prairie,” according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The cave is about 42 degrees, even in the summer, officials said. It’s dark and cold, and the rocks can be slippery and sharp.
The cave is about 20 miles northwest from Flagstaff.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 9:18 AM.
