4 drown in cave

PROVO — Workers closed the opening of a cave using rocks and fresh concrete Thursday afternoon, hours after four hikers died inside a small, watery underground chamber on "Y" Mountain that they had jokingly nicknamed "The Cave of Death" the night before.

Crews found the bodies of two men and two women trapped in a narrow, underwater tunnel between two caverns just a few minutes' hike above the old Seven Peaks Golf Course. The hikers apparently became disoriented while trying to swim through the dark, underwater tunnel between the caverns.

Police identified the victims as J. Blake Donner, 24, of Springville; Jennifer Lynn Galbraith, 21, of Pleasant Grove; Scott K. McDonald, 28, of Provo; and Ariel Singer, 18, of Orem.

A preliminary report from the state medical examiner's office lists the cause of death for the four as drowning, said Lynnae Sanford, Provo police records supervisor.

Hours after they heard of their daughter's death, the parents of Jennifer Lynn Galbraith remained heartbroken but confident that their daughter was not alone.

"My parents have died," said Chris Galbraith, Jennifer's father. "And when I heard about Jennifer, the first thing I thought was that she's being greeted by them right now."

Galbraith credited his family's faith and a strong support system of family, friends and members of their LDS ward for helping them through the day.

"I'm grateful for our beliefs," he said. "We know we'll see her again."

Galbraith said he will always remember his daughter as a "fun-loving" kid who loved doing things with her friends.

"I take comfort in knowing she was doing something she loved, and she was with her friends," he said. "It just went bad."

The Galbraiths also fondly remembered Blake Donner, Jennifer's boyfriend.

"He was so thoughtful of his family," said Doris Galbraith, Jennifer's mother. "That's what I really respected about him."

Doris Galbraith works with Donner's mother, a single parent, at Utah Valley State College. She said Donner was an only child.

"I feel bad for us, but I feel even worse for her," Doris Galbraith said of Donner's mother. "I can't imagine what she's going through."