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Coroner investigating snowmobiler’s death on trails near Whitehorse

It is believed 39-year-old man succumbed to the elements after walking away from stuck sled.
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Whitehorse RCMP say 39-year-old Lance Scollen was last seen leaving the Airport Chalet on a snowmobile on Nov. 14. He was found dead in the Mount Sima area on Nov. 16 (RCMP Image)

The Yukon Corner’s Service has confirmed that the man reported missing after departing a Whitehorse hotel on a snowmobile was found dead.

The coroner’s service is still investigating but believes the man, 39-year-old Lance Brett Scollen of Nanaimo, succumbed to the elements.

Scollen was reported missing on Nov. 15. He was last seen leaving the Airport Chalet around 4 p.m. the afternoon before.

“It is understood that the snowmobiler had gone out onto the trails around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14, with the intention of only being out for a few hours,” a coroner’s service statement reads.

Scollen’s snowmobile was found in knee-deep snow in the Mount Sima area shortly before noon on Nov. 16. He had walked away from the machine. His body was found approximately three kilometres away and it appears to the coroner that he died of exposure to the elements. The coroner will continue to investigate to determine a cause of death with assistance from the Whitehorse RCMP.

According to the coroner, Scollen had been in the Yukon for only a short time.

“Yukon Coroner’s Service extends our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Scollen,” the statement reads.

Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com



Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
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