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Body of man who fell in Youghiogheny River recovered

By Steve Ferris sferris@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read
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John F. Brothers|Herald-Standard

Park officials at Ohiopyle State Park confirmed that the body of 20-year-old Michael Davila, of Carnegie, was discovered in the Schoolhouse Rapids area of the Youghiogheny River late Thursday afternoon by a kayaker who was on a search detail that has been ongoing since Davila slipped into the river at the falls area of the park on March 18.

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John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard

Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly (second from left), along with deputy coroners John Kondrla, Robert Furin and Mallory Onusko, discusses the recovery of the body of Michael Davila Jr., 20, of Carnegie, during a brief press conference Thursday evening. Davila fell into the high waters of the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle on March 18.

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Davila

OHIOPYLE — The body of the 20-year-old Carnegie man who fell into the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park nearly a month ago was recovered on Thursday.

Michael Davila Jr. was found about five miles downstream of the park visitors center, where he climbed over a railing to take a photograph but slipped on an icy rock and fell into the river on March 18.

A guide from Wilderness Voyageurs found the body near the Schoolhouse Rapids along the left side of the river adjacent to the Great Allegheny Passage, said park Manager Ken Bisbee. He said the guide called him at 5:10 p.m. and he called the Davila family shortly afterward.

“It’s hard to meet nice people this way,” Bisbee said.

Park staff, Ohiopyle-Stewart Volunteer Fire Co. firefighters, Fayette EMS paramedics, river guides and Fayette County deputy coroners removed Davila Jr.’s body and transported him to Uniontown Hospital, where he was identified by his father, Michael Davila Sr.

Davila Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene along the river at 7:12 p.m., said Coroner Phillip E. Reilly. The cause of death was asphyxiation from drowning and exposure to cold water, and the death was ruled accidental, Reilly said, adding that Davila Jr. also suffered some facial trauma.

Reilly said he is not requesting an autopsy, but the family may want to have one performed. He said a toxicology test would not be of any use due to the length of time Davila Jr. was in the water.

He said Davila Jr.’s tennis shoes were recovered a couple days after he fell into the river and his T-shirt was found sometime later.

“This is a tragic ending to a tragic month for the family,” Reilly said.

The river had swelled to more than 7.5 feet deep from rain runoff the day Davila Jr. fell in, Bisbee said. The depth receded for a time, but last week’s rain increased the depth to more than 8 feet, he said.

The depth was about 5 feet on Thursday, and, Bisbee said, he had planned to call for an air search if the level fell to the normal 2-foot level.

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