Community Corner

Bellevue Naturopathic Doctor Identified as Snoqualmie Avalanche Victim

The woman who died after being caught in an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass has been identified as Dr. Joy Yu, a Bellevue naturopathic physician who studied at Bastyr University near Kirkland.

The woman who died after being caught in an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass has been identified by The Seattle Times as Dr. Joy Yu, a Bellevue naturopathic physician.

Yu and a Renton dentist, Mitch Hungate, were caught in two separate avalanches that took place just before 1 p.m. Hungate, whose snowshoeing companions escaped the slide, has been missing since Saturday.

According to reports, Yu was snowshoeing with her dog when they were struck by the second of two avalanches in the area.

Find out what's happening in Kirklandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Yu practiced at the Creekside Center for Integrative Medicine and earned her doctorate of naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University near Kirkland, according to her bio on the Creekside Center's website.

According to her bio, Yu was born and raised in Seoul and enjoyed hiking with her dog, named Blue.

Find out what's happening in Kirklandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hungate was caught in the first avalanche on Granite Mountain. The search for him has been called off because of hazardous conditions, but searchers may be able to return to the area on Tuesday, Sgt. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office said Monday morning.

The second avalanche was on Red Mountain, which caught a dozen hikers from Sammamish, according to King5 News.

Yu was not part of their group, but they saw her walking nearby. Following the avalanche, the group realized she was missing and began searching for her. They found her about 45 minutes later and dug her out of approximately five feet of snow.

Yu, who was not moving and was somewhat conscious, was loaded on a sled and hiked out by Search-and-Rescue teams, but she died as she was being carried back to the trailhead.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Kirkland