WATCH: Weather continues to hamper the search efforts in Oso where the death toll is expected to spike. Teri Okita reports
The official number of Washington mudslide victims is still at 17, according to Snohomish County authorities. County executive Gary Haakenson said in a press conference tonight that there will be only one announcement a day on the number of victims, which will come from the Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office has only confirmed 17 victims of the Washington mudslide, although at least 25 people have been killed by the mudslide that struck the small community near Oso last Saturday.
Fire Chief for Snohomish County Fire District 22, Travis Hots, said the number of deceased will not be updated until the medical examiner officially releases the bodies.
One of those people confirmed deceased is four-month-old Sanoah Violet Huestis. She will be buried next to her grandmother who was also killed in the slide.
“We understand there has been confusion over the reported number of fatalities,” said Hots. “This has been a challenging process for all of us. The sadness here is that we know this number will only increase.”
Global News has confirmed one of the deceased is Dane Bruner’s sister, Summer. She was swept away by the slide when she was driving in her car. Dane spent days looking for his sister and was the one who had to tell their mother that Summer’s body had been found.
“She at first started crying,” said Dane, “and was just kind of taken aback, but then she goes ‘go get her Dane, go get her, bring her home to me.'”
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Snohomish County has also released the following names of the deceased:
Kaylee B. Spillers, Stephen A. Neal, Christina A. Jefferds, William E. Welsh and Linda L. McPherson. All of them died as a result of blunt impact.
There are still 90 people on the list of missing persons. Although that list has not been released, Hots said the Department of Emergency Management has put in a request to the county to release the names to the public.
Snohomish County is asking for people to submit photos of those missing:
Search and rescue crews will be out again today, but Hots said they are at the mercy of the weather.
“The rain, wind, weather is working against us,” he said. “It will further complicate things for responders up at the site.”
“Areas that have dried out are going to become more saturated with water.”
New geologists will also be arriving on scene today to make sure there is no risk of additional slides in the area.
READ MORE: No signs of life from possible victims in hours after Washington mudslide
If anyone has any information about someone who is missing, please call the sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.
People can also donate at the Snohomish County website. Hots said cash donations are encouraged.
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