PALOUSE FALLS, Wash. -- The Franklin County Sheriff's Office along with Dive Rescue and Med Star recovered a body below Palouse Falls on Monday.
FCSO officials believe the body is that of Noble Stoneman, 26.
Stoneman was a Pullman resident.
FCSO officials said Stoneman fell into the river above Palouse Falls Thursday.
Stoneman was the third person to die at Palouse Falls in the past year. In late April, a 23-year-old swimmer died at the park. Police said he was swimming near the base of the falls when he went under and never resurfaced.
In May 2017, another man died at the park. Police said he lost his footing and slipped from a cliff.
In the aftermath of these incidents, park workers are not denying that the place can be dangerous.They did say it should not be a spot for any type of physical activity. They want to remind you that the falls should be strictly a lookout point and beyond authorized trails there, nobody should be exploring the area on their own.
State leaders said they are actively exploring the possibility of adding fencing to block off any unsafe spots but doing so is not as simple as you may think. Before any changes can be made, there is a lengthy process where the state has to consider such things as how fencing would impact wildlife and the overall environment.
"Those require studies, anthropological studies and studies from our stewardship program and it's the same with any parks that we have, anytime we do any kind of planning. You can't stick a shovel in the ground before you do certain things in advance," Toni Droscher with Washington State Parks said.
Temporary fencing was put up in late 2015 to keep people off potentially dangerous paths. It was removed in 2016 as new signs were posted warning people of the risks of using unmarked trials. The state is now exploring the possibility of adding fencing once again.