As if 2016 wasn’t weird enough, the release of Pokémon GO for smartphones has really taken this year to the next level.
Official government agencies are already warning players not to play while driving (and in doing so, turned “Pokémoning” into a word), a man went viral for catching Pidgey while his wife gave birth, and now, in a darker twist of events, an unfortunate player stumbled upon a real-life tragedy while searching for a water-type Pokémon.
Shayla Wiggins, 19, of Riverton, Wyoming, was prompted by the app to search for a Pokémon “in a natural water source.” After jumping a fence and walking along the shore, she discovered a body floating near a bridge.
It was pretty shocking. […] I didn’t know what to do at first. But I called 911 right away and they came really quickly. […] I was pretty scared and cried for a while.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office stated that the death appeared to be “accidental in nature and possibly that of a drowning.” They confirmed “there is no evidence at this time that would indicate foul play.” Of course, once the story broke, there was no shortage of “but did she find a Ghastly/Haunter” jokes in every comments section around.
Stay safe out there, trainers.