North Bend girl drowns in river

Published 10:19 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

A 15-year-old girl who was rescued from the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River June 26 was pronounced dead just hours after being taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Witnesses at the scene identified the girl as Tess Sollitto, daughter of former North Bend City Council member Mark Sollitto. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office was unable to confirm the girl’s identity was unable to confirm the girl’s identification in time to print.

The North Bend teen was swimming with five other friends in the popular swimming spot known as “Blue Hole” on Monday when she and at least one other female friend fell under distress of some kind, possibly becoming tired, and began to have difficulty swimming, said King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart.

One group member was able to rescue the friend, but was unable to reach Sollitto before she disappeared under the water.

The King County Sheriff’s Office received the 911 emergency call at 2:31 p.m. By the time its marine unit arrived, Sollitto had been under the water for 30-40 minutes, Urquhart said. None in the group was wearing a lifejacket.

Divers found her relatively quickly, Urquhart said.

Sollitto was pulled out from about six feet of water and paramedics were able to revive her at the scene. She was taken by ambulance to Harborview, where she died that night.

An autopsy was performed yesterday. The official cause of death was not released in time for publication.