A search helicopter spotted the body of the son of boxing promoter Bob Arum on a Washington state mountainside Friday afternoon, five days after searchers began looking for him in North Cascades National Park, authorities said.
The body belonging to John Arum, an experienced mountain climber, was seen at about the 7,700-foot level of the 8,500-foot Storm King mountain, park spokeswoman Kerry Olson said.
It wasn't possible Friday afternoon to either reach or retrieve the body, but Olson said it was clear to searchers in the helicopter that the 49-year-old Seattle environmental attorney was dead.
''There was no doubt of that,'' she said, adding it appeared that Arum had fallen.
The search began Monday after Arum failed to return from a solo weekend trip to climb the mountain, which family members said was part of his goal of reaching the summit of the 100 highest peaks in the state.
''His plan was to climb Storm King on Saturday, so it's probably a safe assumption that he fell that day,'' Olson said.
A small day pack belonging to Arum was found Thursday and Olson said his body was found about 300 feet below that spot in an extremely steep area with a lot of loose rock. Arum's larger backpack was found Wednesday on a trail on the less rugged south side, she said.
About 20 people, some using trained search dogs, were out Friday, along with four helicopters, two of them King County sheriff's aircraft with heat-seeking equipment. Counting coordinators and support workers, about 50 people were involved in the search, Olson said.
A National Park Service employee spotted the body from a helicopter, Olson said.
Park Service workers were trying to develop a plan to recover the body, which is in an area so difficult ''that people can't rappel down or climb up to it,'' she said.
Friday's weather was clear, with temperatures in the 80s. However, the National Weather Service has forecast that clouds will move in with a chance of rain Saturday.
Earlier this week, Bob Arum left Los Angeles to join park rangers coordinating the effort. He had been on a three-city tour promoting the Nov. 13 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. His stepson, Todd duBoef, took over the tour that also stopped in New York and Dallas.
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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in New York contributed to this report.
