I live in Port Townsend. Jacob is actually from Bellevue, not Port Townsend. He was visiting his grandma here prior to leaving for the Olympic National Park.
Hubby and I have biked and hiked those areas over the years. The Elwha River area is stunningly beautiful but some parts are pretty wild and the rivers can be daunting. One slip and like Snoopster said, Jacob could get into real trouble. Also, black bears are active right now; we've seen a few over the years and while we kept our distance and they did the same there's never a guarantee that paths won't cross. Mind you, as far as I know there's never been a bear attack in the Park.
Also, there are some very aggressive goats in the area. A few years back a friend of ours was gored by one who had smelled his packed lunch. The goat tore our friend's femoral artery and he bled to death. That was unusual but the goats are to be avoided.
In Jacob's case though, the evidence so far is pointing to a river accident.
I'm not trying to be fear mongering, just sharing that the area can be wild and anyone planning to hike or camp in the more remote areas needs to be cautious. From what I know about Jacob from local news he didn't appear to be depressed or suicidal.
Some miscellaneous info:
http://www.skyvalleychronicle.com/999/news/img20170416133656700128679.jpg
https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...7615e84d2530e!8m2!3d48.0409122!4d-123.9488282
https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-trail-conditions.htm#CP_JUMP_450763
http://outdoor-society.com/bears-are-active-in-olympic-national-park-what-you-need-to-know/
http://www.ptleader.com/news/search...cle_5cbb0190-214c-11e7-8c35-8b6a0ea982b0.html
From Whiskers' link:
I'm afraid Jacob had an unfortunate accident and this is a recovery effort. I'm so sorry for his family. :tears: