On Saturday January 24, 2015 at around 10:20 am, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call regarding a 15 year-old male who was involved in an accident while using a zip-line at a private residence in the Forest Lakes Community.
The boy, Tony Flores, who is the son of Mesa Police Detective Esteban Flores, a key witness in the Jodi Arias murder trial, was participating in a Boy Scout Troop activity at the residence when the accident occurred. The boy succumbed to injuries sustained from head trauma.
Flores was with a group staying at a private cabin about 60 miles northeast of Payson.
According to CBS 5 News, the CEO of the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Larry Abbott, said two adult leaders were preparing a zip line when the accident happened. Abbott said the adults told four boys to wait while they went inside a cabin to get helmets and bungee cords which are used for the braking system.
“They had procedures all in place,” Abbott told CBS 5. “It was one of those tragic things where kids are trying to be kids.”
Coconino County Sheriff’s Spokesman Gerry Blair said his department is investigating.