Boy Scout from New Mexico dies camping in Colorado, police say

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — A Boy Scout from New Mexico has died after a camping incident over the weekend near the New Mexico-Colorado state line, authorities said.

The Conejos County sheriff’s office said Josh Miko, 17, of Los Alamos, was camping with other troop members when a snow cave collapsed and left him trapped.

Sheriff Garth Crowther said deputies responded to a report from the New Mexico State Police on Saturday around 6:35 p.m. about an emergency incident seven miles north of the state line in southern Colorado.

Authorities said the troop members were digging snow caves, a type of shelter dug into the snow to guard from wind and freezing temperatures, when they found Miko buried under the snow.

Scouts and adult supervisors dug him out, attempted to resuscitate him and transported him to a nearby hospital in Chama, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

“This is an extremely sad time for our Scouting family following the death of one of our youth members after an incident while camping,” Boy Scouts of America said in a statement. “We offer our deepest condolences to the Miko family and we will support them in any way that we can.”

Miko was a junior at Los Alamos High School and was involved in Junior ROTC, choir and the German program. Principal Carter Payne described him as a “quiet leader” who had a large group of friends and peers.

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