Jaxson Brown: Five-year-old boy found dead after mother said they got lost during hike

Boy and mother went hiking at Lunch Creek Trail on Wednesday afternoon

The body of a five-year-old boy has been found after his mother reportedly said they got lost during a hike, authorities said.

In a press release, Alaska State Troopers said ground searchers located the body of Jaxson Brown.

According to an earlier release, Jaxson's mother told authorities the pair had become lost and eventually separated during a hiking trip.

Jennifer Treat said she and her son had gone hiking on the Lunch Creek Trail on Wednesday afternoon.

“During the hike, the pair became disoriented and lost the trail. They spent the night together. In the morning, Treat left Jaxson to seek help on her own, as he was reportedly tired and didn’t want to hike anymore,” the release said.

While trying to find help Ms Treat reportedly tripped and significantly injured her leg.

State Troopers said Ms Treat was located alone approximately three miles up the trail on 27 March with significant injuries to her leg.

Approximately 20 people helped search for the boy and the US Coast Guard flew in one of its helicopters to support the search, authorities said.

The Lunch Creek trail is 4.8 miles long and is composed of both natural tread and boardwalk, according to the US forest service.

Its difficulty level for day hiking is rated at moderate.