Found Deceased WV - Wyatt Ray Eaves-Nibert, 10, with great grandfather hunting, became separated, Two Mile Salt Creek, Point Pleasant, 9 Sep 2023

[Rolypolyoly]

There is no evidence to suggest this.

I didn't imply that there was. There is no evidence to suggest anything as yet. People have speculated foul play as a reason for the delay in details becoming public, I was just offering a different point of view.

For what it's worth, I believe this to be a tragic accident.

 

[Stunned]

I didn't imply that there was. There is no evidence to suggest anything as yet. People have speculated foul play as a reason for the delay in details becoming public, I was just offering a different point of view.

For what it's worth, I believe this to be a tragic accident.

I know you didn’t imply there was. I was saying there is nothing to say you were right or wrong yet.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

I know you didn’t imply there was. I was saying there is nothing to say you were right or wrong yet.

I think we crossed posts, we were both replying to the same poster!

 

[Trebor5591]

Possibly been waiting for the funeral

Funeral has already been had. I suppose if Wyatt's body was released to his family for burying then the autopsy is completed. Yet nothing has been said publicly is released by the coroner or the sheriff. I believe Wyatt was killed on Saturday Sept. 8 and his body was discovered Sunday Sept 9.
I wish the sheriff would say something. The more time that passes the more questions are raised.

Family, community mourn Mason County 10-year-old

POINT PLEASANT, WV (WOWK) – A community gathered Monday afternoon to say goodbye today to a young boy gone too soon. Funeral services for 10-year-old Wyatt Ray Eaves took place in Point Pleas…

www.wowktv.com

Missing 10-year-old found dead with gun shot wound in West Virginia

10-year-old Wyatt Ray Eaves had gone on a squirrel hunting trip with his grandfather in the Salt Creek area of Mason County, West Virginia.

www.usatoday.com

 

[caribou_birdie]

I hunt. If I am in the woods during hunting season, I have on orange as required by law. If I am in the woods during hunting season in plain clothes, I wear orange for my safety. Not all hunters are safe (I am not saying this little fella and his g'pa weren't...I am saying some people will shoot at movement, when they should be making sure they have a clear shot at an animal before shooting). Squirrel hunting is up in the trees with either a .22 or a shotgun. Yes, you can shoot them on the ground but they are much easier to see and shoot from above. While it is more difficult to injure yourself with a long gun than a handgun, it isn't impossible.

So, my speculation is... This sounds like the boy and his grandfather were very cautious and experienced. Wyatt was carrying the gun, got separated from grandpa and had a horrible accident. I think the family and LE are keeping quiet because the matter is settled, the child has passed away and grandpa is trying to overcome the guilt

If he had been shot with a different caliber, LE would have made a statement that they were looking to charge someone with homicide. I suspect they were able to tell from bullet trajectory that little Wyatt injured himself and unfortunately since he was lost and alone, there was no surviving it.

May he rest in peace and his family find comfort. So, so sad.

 

[LaborDayRN]

If he told Grandpa he was going to try and find squirrels, and they were out there to hunt, then Grandpa probably wouldn't find hearing a gunshot that out of place, Wyatt could have been hit by another hunter who accidentally mistook his movement for game, or by a stray bullet and by the time Grandpa went to catch up to him it was already too late.
It seems strange that he was found much later and seemingly much further away in brush though.

All just guessing and MOO.


<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

I know nothing about hunting, but wouldn't a hunter have to see the game so he/she would know where to shoot?

 

[Cryptic]

I know nothing about hunting, but wouldn't a hunter have to see the game so he/she would know where to shoot?

Yes, you are 100% correct.

And now, the "but"....

What should happen (seeing game before firing) and what actually does happen (firing at movement with out seeing the target) can be two very different things.

 

[Howl]

I know nothing about hunting, but wouldn't a hunter have to see the game so he/she would know where to shoot?

As @caribou_birdie noted upthread:

...I am saying some people will shoot at movement, when they should be making sure they have a clear shot at an animal before shooting

That's why hunters wear bright orange jacket/vest/cap -- to cut down on being mistaken for an animal during hunting season.

 

[LaborDayRN]

As @caribou_birdie noted upthread:

That's why hunters wear bright orange jacket/vest/cap -- to cut down on being mistaken for an animal during hunting season.

IMO shooting at "movement" is a terrible idea. One should have a clear view of what they are shooting BEFORE pulling the trigger. Just my humble opinion.

 

[LadyL]

A different perspective, maybe not foul play, but have we considered self inflicted?. We have no idea if Wyatt was happy, if he was struggling, being bullied etc. If he was an older teen, or an adult we would consider that he had left his grandfather so he could be alone to finish it.

I'm not suggesting this is what happened at all. Just a different angle to consider.

I would think he would go out there by himself if he was contemplating that

 

[musicaljoke]

I hunt. If I am in the woods during hunting season, I have on orange as required by law. If I am in the woods during hunting season in plain clothes, I wear orange for my safety. Not all hunters are safe (I am not saying this little fella and his g'pa weren't...I am saying some people will shoot at movement, when they should be making sure they have a clear shot at an animal before shooting). Squirrel hunting is up in the trees with either a .22 or a shotgun. Yes, you can shoot them on the ground but they are much easier to see and shoot from above. While it is more difficult to injure yourself with a long gun than a handgun, it isn't impossible.

So, my speculation is... This sounds like the boy and his grandfather were very cautious and experienced. Wyatt was carrying the gun, got separated from grandpa and had a horrible accident. I think the family and LE are keeping quiet because the matter is settled, the child has passed away and grandpa is trying to overcome the guilt

If he had been shot with a different caliber, LE would have made a statement that they were looking to charge someone with homicide. I suspect they were able to tell from bullet trajectory that little Wyatt injured himself and unfortunately since he was lost and alone, there was no surviving it.

May he rest in peace and his family find comfort. So, so sad.

Do you know if hunters need written permission to go on private property? Before this was a regulation in these parts, shooting accidents were far more common.

 

[Cryptic]

Do you know if hunters need written permission to go on private property? Before this was a regulation in these parts, shooting accidents were far more common.

I am far from being an avid hunter, but in a significant majority of cases, I would say yes, one needs permission.

As an exception, I have a vague understanding that some states have olde timey laws that allow for hunters to legally pursue driven game across private property sans permission- so long as they dont get to close to houses, barns etc.

But....

As with firing at game only after fully identifying it, what should happen (hunters stay off private property unless they have permission) and what does happen (hunters "not seeing" private property signs, purple painted tree trunks etc. etc. ) can be two very different things.

 

[deadfoot13]

IMO shooting at "movement" is a terrible idea. One should have a clear view of what they are shooting BEFORE pulling the trigger. Just my humble opinion.

As with everything, there's a considerable percentage of people engaging in the practice who shouldn't even be allowed to own a water pistol. I am in upstate NY, and we have had more than one verified instance of "hunters" shooting cows, horses, or other livestock because they thought it was a deer... I have stories that would turn your hair white.

It's a shame because it detracts from the fact that there are a lot of people who are serious about practicing gun safety and are responsible gun owners and hunters. It sounds like Wyatt's family belonged to this group and my thought is that this was just an unfortunate accident, possibly caused by tripping/falling or accidentally dropping the firearm.

MOO.

 

[caribou_birdie]

IMO shooting at "movement" is a terrible idea. One should have a clear view of what they are shooting BEFORE pulling the trigger. Just my humble opinion.

It is a terrible idea, and is taught in Hunter Safety courses, but there are some people who are just not safe hunters. The orange serves to keep us safe.

As with everything, there's a considerable percentage of people engaging in the practice who shouldn't even be allowed to own a water pistol. I am in upstate NY, and we have had more than one verified instance of "hunters" shooting cows, horses, or other livestock because they thought it was a deer... I have stories that would turn your hair white.

It's a shame because it detracts from the fact that there are a lot of people who are serious about practicing gun safety and are responsible gun owners and hunters. It sounds like Wyatt's family belonged to this group and my thought is that this was just an unfortunate accident, possibly caused by tripping/falling or accidentally dropping the firearm.

MOO.

yes! 100% agree

 

[Howl]

As with everything, there's a considerable percentage of people engaging in the practice who shouldn't even be allowed to own a water pistol. I am in upstate NY, and we have had more than one verified instance of "hunters" shooting cows, horses, or other livestock because they thought it was a deer... I have stories that would turn your hair white.

I kept recalling the 1988 case of Karen Wood, a woman in Bangor, Maine who stepped off her back porch wearing a navy colored jacket and white mittens, and was killed by Donald Rogerson, a local man hunting deer. Rogerson fired his high-powered rifle twice, one shot hitting Karen Wood in the chest and a subsequent shot hitting a tree. Even though he was hunting a buck and was required to see and identify the head, a grand jury declined to indict him for manslaughter.

All the things here: The Killing of Karen Wood When a young Maine mother was shot by a deer hunter in her own backyard, the tragedy wounded the entire community.

(I think the subtitle is b.s.; the killing destroyed her husband and left her twin babies with no mother. The community to some extent lined up behind the local hunter, who was very likely hunting illegally too close to houses and had a pretty clear shot.)

 

[IceIce9]

I kept recalling the 1988 case of Karen Wood, a woman in Bangor, Maine who stepped off her back porch wearing a navy colored jacket and white mittens, and was killed by Donald Rogerson, a local man hunting deer. Rogerson fired his high-powered rifle twice, one shot hitting Karen Wood in the chest and a subsequent shot hitting a tree. Even though he was hunting a buck and was required to see and identify the head, a grand jury declined to indict him for manslaughter.

All the things here: The Killing of Karen Wood When a young Maine mother was shot by a deer hunter in her own backyard, the tragedy wounded the entire community.

(I think the subtitle is b.s.; the killing destroyed her husband and left her twin babies with no mother. The community to some extent lined up behind the local hunter, who was very likely hunting illegally too close to houses and had a pretty clear shot.)

I remember that case well. So sad.

 

[deadfoot13]

I kept recalling the 1988 case of Karen Wood, a woman in Bangor, Maine who stepped off her back porch wearing a navy colored jacket and white mittens, and was killed by Donald Rogerson, a local man hunting deer. Rogerson fired his high-powered rifle twice, one shot hitting Karen Wood in the chest and a subsequent shot hitting a tree. Even though he was hunting a buck and was required to see and identify the head, a grand jury declined to indict him for manslaughter.

All the things here: The Killing of Karen Wood When a young Maine mother was shot by a deer hunter in her own backyard, the tragedy wounded the entire community.

(I think the subtitle is b.s.; the killing destroyed her husband and left her twin babies with no mother. The community to some extent lined up behind the local hunter, who was very likely hunting illegally too close to houses and had a pretty clear shot.)

It's definitely tragic when innocent people are impacted by someone's negligence. Makes you wonder how either party can ever have a degree of normalcy in their lives again. Life is hard enough without setting someone on a path of loss and grief because one is too lazy/impulsive/careless to figure out just what it is they are killing. It doesn't help with the controversy surrounding gun ownership, either.

 

[DeDee]

I kept recalling the 1988 case of Karen Wood, a woman in Bangor, Maine who stepped off her back porch wearing a navy colored jacket and white mittens, and was killed by Donald Rogerson, a local man hunting deer. Rogerson fired his high-powered rifle twice, one shot hitting Karen Wood in the chest and a subsequent shot hitting a tree. Even though he was hunting a buck and was required to see and identify the head, a grand jury declined to indict him for manslaughter.

All the things here: The Killing of Karen Wood When a young Maine mother was shot by a deer hunter in her own backyard, the tragedy wounded the entire community.

(I think the subtitle is b.s.; the killing destroyed her husband and left her twin babies with no mother. The community to some extent lined up behind the local hunter, who was very likely hunting illegally too close to houses and had a pretty clear shot.)

Thank you for bringing Karen's scary story of preventable death to the thread.

Because her death was related to hunting, game wardens rather than police handled the investigation, and young uniformed wardens, it seemed like an entire squadron of them, swarmed through Kevin’s backyard. They worked intensely around the crime scene, some of them down on their hands and knees, scouring the leaf-covered earth. When darkness closed in, they switched on flashlights and continued. It was 7:00 P.M. before the medical examiner could get there from Augusta, even later before the hearse came to take Karen’s body away

Does this mean that Game Wardens will be involved in this investigation in WV, too? I hope police combed the area as well as they did for Karen's case.

The beginning irks me or is it a clue? Is it possible the reason she pulled on mittens and a jacket to go outdoors was because someone hit the glass window panes with a rock? She went to check it out? GWs likely would have found a rock among the leaves.

"No one can say why, but some time after 3:00 P.M., she laid down her tools and put the babies behind the child gates in the living room."

I suppose the investigation into Wyatt's untimely death continues as the truth is sought. This victim was a handsome lad who must be sorely missed by family and friends. I don't know how parents go on to live another day after the loss of a child.

 

[Trebor5591]

OK, the child's body was discovered on September 9. It is now October 23-- a full 6 weeks later. There is nothing but silence from the sheriff and the media. I am puzzled by this silence, and feel some unease. Any thoughts from anyone on why there is no word?

 

[Stunned]

Could be an extremely delicate situation that is none of our business?