Found Deceased AK - Jaxson Brown, 5, hiking w/mom, Ketchikan, 26 Mar 2020

[LietKynes]

But you probably didn't start your 5 mile hike 3 hours before dark---nor hike until knee deep snow, in a remote trail that was not clearly marked...

bbm
Agreed.

There is never a good reason to make a 5 year old walk just before dark in the snow on an unmarked trail.
We may never know the reasons behind the actions taken late that night.
Poor little boy to watch his parent walk away from him in the dark.
Breaks my heart.
I cannot say 'but for the grace of god there go I' ; because I would never leave any 5 year old alone in the snow after dark or even before nightfall.
Some people might be made of tougher stuff, but my heart is like a marshmallow towards children and the helpless.
If necessary I'd carry him or we'd stay put -- together-- and I'd put my coat over him.
Just common sense and means nothing nefarious as far as we know.
None of this case makes any sense at all !

 

[LietKynes]

We walk a very fine line here as very little has been released regarding any investigation but I keep thinking of Jaxson alone in the cold, watching his mama walk away. I just can’t imagine in my wildest dreams ever leaving any of my babies in such a situation. I can’t work out why he was left before mom hurt herself? I can’t think of any situation where Jaxson wouldn’t follow his mommy as she was walking away, called after her.

I can’t tell you how many times my kids have moaned they are tired or refused to walk on the very short walk home from school, they’ve sat on the floor in protest before now and I’ve done the old ‘ok, see ya kid, I’ll leave you here then’ within a few steps or in my son’s case as soon as I am out of sight I hear them come running ‘wait for me mom!!’. I can’t imagine Jaxson watching his mommy disappear and not calling after her or asking her to wait. JMO

bbm
Good point.^^^

If she was uninjured; why walk away from him ?
I know she says she "placed him in or under a tree"; but if she could walk (& she could at the time he was left behind) ; why not carry him or hold his hand and take him with you ?
Maybe the mother has made a statement explaining why she took such actions ?
I haven't found one but maybe someone else has ?

 

[Catmommy]

I keep seeing a sad little gray ghost waiting under a tree for the mother who never returns.

 

[Spudbear]

Even if Jaxson could hike that trail, no way he should have in that weather during that time of day. It was at best irresponsible. And that’s what is so sad about his story. He died alone and scared. As a mom that thought breaks my heart and makes me so angry.

 

[LietKynes]

Even if Jaxson could hike that trail, no way he should have in that weather during that time of day. It was at best irresponsible. And that’s what is so sad about his story. He died alone and scared. As a mom that thought breaks my heart and makes me so angry.

Agreed. ^^^

And even if a 5 year old who runs a 10 mile marathon as was previously posted; most likely it was with other people on a day with good weather.
Pretty certain it wasn't in falling snow and at night !

Jaxon was dragged on a hike at nearly dark out with snow falling and some already on the ground.
If it was , say, a bit past the mother's knees as she'd described; then it had to be almost waist high for Jaxon.
He must have been so cold and so terrified when she walked off and left him.
Poor baby boy.
Died all alone ... and not one soul there for comfort.

 

[Subiechik21]

I keep seeing a sad little gray ghost waiting under a tree for the mother who never returns.

That is such a profoundly sad thought! I hope his little soul can rest. We here at WS won't forget about this little man.

 

[LietKynes]

I wouldn't walk away and leave my pet cat out in the snow at night ; let alone a child.
Any child.

*Although my cat is a member of our family and will let you know in no uncertain terms*

 

[Subiechik21]

I wouldn't walk away and leave my pet cat out in the snow at night ; let alone a child.
Any child.

*Although my cat is a member of our family and will let you know in no uncertain terms*

Our dog is the same...she has no idea she is a dog & gets mad if you say "Poodle", despite her being one, lol.

Has anyone heard anything about Jaxson's dog in all of this? I hope he is getting fed & taken care of if JT is still in the hospital. JMO

 

[moonriverfarm]

"Placed him under a tree" sounds like he may have already been deceased.

 

[LietKynes]

"Placed him under a tree" sounds like he may have already been deceased.

It certainly does.
Smdh.
I realize mom is a victim here at WS (which means none of this was her fault); but from the beginning I found her wording off-putting and emotionally empty.
No empathy.
And she comes across as one who is not to be 'crossed'; or at least at your own peril.
MOO

 

[Fleur-de-lis]

Just reading all this has made my heart beat like a rabbit's, and I am so, so angry and upset, the thought of him watching her walk away. That's all I can say, other than I hope karma is real, very real. JMO.

 

[Kittybunny]

Originally, I was a bit suspicious of all of this and her account, but I tried to chalk it up to my city dweller unfamiliarity with the ruggedness of Alaska and the people that live there. But after reading and hearing different opinions from those of you who have lived there or have experience, my hinky meter is back up and I question what really happened. I haven't kept up with recent developments, but are there indications that law-enforcement is investigating this further or is it pretty much a closed case and chalked up to a tragic accident?

 

[Coffiecat]

"placed" had me from the start.

Spent the first night together. He was still too tired to walk in the morning?

Yeah, nah...

 

[Dutchesse]

From what I've read in this thread it seems to be a case of endangering a child at best...
I don't think it's right to make cases like this go away by arguing 'the family has been punished enough let's not talk about it further'. Just like in the case where the grandfather dropped his grandchild over the side of a cruise ship, the facts should be released so people can learn from this. That doesn't mean there needs to be prosecution but we can at least acknowledge that this sort of behaviour is not good. MOO.

 

[moonriverfarm]

Any updates to this tragic case?

 

[evilwise]

From the language in the reports I've read I get the impression that he didn't WANT to walk back out and they were both expecting she would return fairly soon with help, probably a park ranger with an ATV.

 

[NervousNellie]

From the language in the reports I've read I get the impression that he didn't WANT to walk back out and they were both expecting she would return fairly soon with help, probably a park ranger with an ATV.

If that is the case, she will never forgive herself.

 

[LilAlaskan]

I’m not sure if this is okay for me to add- but the day they (Jennifer and Jaxon) took their hike was a gorgeous day and it had been for the last couple days (which can be rare in SE AK) the day was supposed to be rainy but was not- although it was still around 33 degrees that night. And then the next couple days dropped temperature by a bit compared to the days before. It was rainy, foggy, and cold during the days that the teams were searching.

It’s speculated locally that due to hypothermia she probably wasn’t thinking all the way clearly when she had left him in the tree with her jacket, since they had already been out in the cold for a whole night.

I haven’t walked that specific trail, but I’ve heard that it’s relatively easy until you get to the area that they had reached snow and got turned around at; and if the trail hadn’t been walked much over the winter it wouldn’t have been too hard to lose the trail.

 

[MarianEngel]

Jaxson’s Mother has sold her story to one of the UK real life / crime magazines. It appears in That’s Life! Issue 45, dated 05 November 2020 under the title, ‘Jaxson, mummy didn’t leave you!’. This magazine will pay up to £2,000 for your story, incidentally. In the story, Treat says that she did not pack any snacks when taking her 5 year old hiking, but had fortunately packed a tarpaulin. Anyone else ever go anywhere with their 5 year old - even a ten minute visit to the shops - and NOT have snacks with them?! Or a bottle of water / fruit juice? You just don’t do that, unless you want a one way ticket to meltdown city. I don’t know what’s worse; thinking that this tragic death was as a result of sheer carelessness, or wondering if there was something more sinister at work.

 

[meanmaryjean]

She took no snacks but took a tarp? The heck?