Hiker Jumps Into Volcano Crate

Steven Klett
Updated

Leo Adonis committed suicide by jumping 250 feet into the crater of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Monday. His backpack contained a suicide note and was discovered Saturday night by two hikers who alerted park rangers. The rangers began to search for his body the night he died, but after dangerous conditions suspended their search they found the body in the crater the following day.

His father, whose name was not disclosed, said he was heartbroken. Adonis lived in Petaluma, California, but had previously resided in Pahoa .

Adonis was 38 years old and born Gregory Michael Ure, according to a report by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said it is believed the man died from a fall, but an investigation is ongoing.

The volcano does not have an active lava flow, though the volcano itself, Kilauea, is erupting. Since 1990, four people have died from falls around the crater rim, according to the Sun.

READ: Can Volcano Eruptions Be Predicted? Volcanic 'Whispers' Can Alert Scientists

In November 1790, the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea had a legendary eruption, which killed over 400 people. It was the most deadly volcanic explosion in the United States, and the cause of so many deaths has been debated by geologists ever since.

"There have been more powerful eruptions here, but none more deadly," said Don Swanson, a geologist with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, according to Live Science in an article in 2011. "We think that we've identified the very eruption, by its deposit, that was responsible for the deaths of so many people."

This is not the first time that someone has died falling into the crater of a volcano. In 2010, Joseph Bohlig, 52, fell down St. Helen's in Washington when he was trying to snap a picture of himself on the rim of a dormant volcano. The snow overhang gave way beneath him, resulting in his untimely death.

Hawaii volcano continues to spill lava out into the ocean.
Hawaii volcano continues to spill lava out into the ocean.

The lava flow from the Kilauea Volcano is seen downslope of the house that burned on November 10 in this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) handout photo taken near the village of Pahoa, Hawaii on Nov. 13, 2014. Photo: REUTERS/USGS/Handout via Reuters

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