Teen’s death hits Lynnwood students, staff hard

VERLOT — The teen who died after a fall at Mount Pilchuck Saturday was well-liked by his teachers and classmates at Lynnwood High School.

Lord Cedric Cunanan — Cedric to his friends — was 10 days shy of finishing his freshman year when a weekend outing took a tragic turn. Cedric, 15, had been scaling a rock wall when he plummeted about 30 feet onto a snow field Saturday afternoon.

Extra counselors were on hand Monday at Lynnwood High as well as Alderwood Middle School, which Cedric attended a year ago. Dozens of students at both schools wore red — his favorite color.

“This is a tragedy beyond words and many are reeling as they process the news,” Edmonds School District spokeswoman DJ Jakala said. “Our condolences go out to his family and all who knew him.”

It was a hard day for students on both campuses.

“He just made everybody feel valued and important,” said his eighth-grade English teacher, Rebecca Biddick. “He had a million friends. … He was always so enthusiastic about others’ success.”

Cedric, who was originally from the Philippines, had been hiking the popular Lake 22 trail with a group that included his friends and brother.

They had reached the lake and decided to explore the area, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

By Monday, young people had filled Cedric’s social-media pages with personal messages of loss. On Facebook, he was described as a low-key friend, funny and outgoing. He liked to hang out and play basketball at North Lynnwood Park, also known as “Dragon Park.”

“He was the nicest person, always had your back,” one person wrote.

Biddick had Cedric in second-period English at Alderwood Middle School last year. Cedric was a new student who quickly made friends, joined the break-dancing club and showed a deep interest in social issues.

“He was the kind of kid who invited everyone into his life,” she said. “He just embraced everyone — the most non-judgmental kid I had ever seen.”

On Sunday, Biddick heard on Facebook from more than half Cedric’s former classmates. On Monday, nine high-school freshmen returned to room 20 at Alderwood Middle School to spend time with Biddick and share memories. All wore red.

Cedric himself had paid Biddick a visit recently to tell her he’d passed an end-of-course state exam and to thank his former teacher for helping him along the way.

Other teachers at both schools also had fond memories.

“Those who knew Lord Cedric knew him as loyal and devoted to his family and friends,” faculty from the schools wrote in a letter sent to parents Monday.

A sheriff’s office helicopter and Everett Mountain Rescue volunteers were dispatched to Lake 22 on Saturday evening. SnoHawk1 left Taylor’s Landing near Snohomish around 8:30 p.m. with about one hour of daylight to search.

The helicopter crew flew around the area three times before spotting two people. They were off the trail on the south side of the lake pointing up toward the snow line. The teen had been moved down the slope, and his location had been marked with a stick and a blue bandana.

Rescuers confirmed that the teen had died.

As darkness approached, the decision was made to return early Sunday morning rather than risk carrying him down the steep trail at night. He was flown to a landing zone at the Verlot Ranger Station early Sunday morning.

Lake 22 has long been a popular trail off the Mountain Loop Highway east of Granite Falls. It takes hikers through old-growth forest to a mountain lake.

It also can be dangerous.

In January 2008, a Mukilteo girl, 13, died in an avalanche while hiking with friends and an adult. Two other teens were able to dig their way out.

At this time of year, people need to be aware of fast-changing conditions, said Oyvind Henningsen, coordinator for the Snohomish County Search and Rescue helicopter rescue team.

People should be aware of weak snow bridges and the potential for slippery rocks and trails.

Popular trails in the Mount Pilchuck area can stay snowy even as summer starts in the lowlands, said Chris Moriarty, an Everett Mountain Rescue volunteer. Hikers should bring proper footwear and keep an eye on the time and the weather, he said.

Snow that is soft under the morning sun can quickly turn icy and slippery in the shade, he said.

Snow also can make it more difficult to follow the trail, and volunteers plan to put up some additional signs on the Mount Pilchuck summit trail to help those who have wandered.

“It’s difficult to give an exact date on when it will melt out, but it can stay snowed in for quite some time,” he said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Lynnwood
Crash in Lynnwood blocks Highway 99 south

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, fully blocked southbound lanes. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett will welcome new CEO in June

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Search underway to find missing Everett child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday morning at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.