An experienced mountaineer died after a rockfall on Mount Rainier; in Seattle, a decomposed body was found in a forest park; after the record sale of the Seahawks, the owners are bringing in new investors.
Experienced Bellevue climber dies on Mount Rainier: she conquered the peak five times
Daichong Chen, a 44-year-old Bellevue resident, died Sunday morning after a rockfall on Mount Rainier. The tragedy is especially bitter because Chen was not just an experienced climber—she had climbed that same mountain five times and always approached it with deep respect. Her husband, Brian Digel, said that mountains were not objects for conquest for her: she would ask them for permission to visit and return safely. Chen had dreamed of Rainier since she first saw the snow-covered summit from an airplane window when she moved to Seattle 15 years ago. Over her lifetime, she made more than 100 ascents, but it was this mountain that remained her greatest love.
The tragedy happened at about 2:30 a.m. on the Disappointing Cleaver route—both the most popular and the most dangerous path to the summit—where avalanches and rockfalls are frequent. This time, a group of three—Daichong, her husband, and his son—was moving together with another unorganized group. The rockfall struck them at around 3,500 meters (about 11,500 feet). A boulder the size of a car hit Chen, and she lost consciousness. Her husband and his son were not injured. Other climbers helped Digel perform CPR and called for rescue, but the injuries proved fatal. One member of the second group sustained serious injuries and was evacuated by helicopter; two others suffered minor injuries.
Daichong Chen came to the United States from China, where she worked as a teacher. She earned a doctoral degree in education from Seattle Pacific University, and then retrained as a data specialist, taking a job with the energy company Puget Sound Energy. In 2014, she met Brian Digel during a run, and a year later they married. On their first date, she asked whether he could climb that “giant snow mountain”—and that was how their shared passion began. Together, they conquered dozens of peaks in Washington and other countries, including a recent ascent in remote mountains in western China near Tibet. After the birth of their daughter in 2019, their climbs became less frequent, but they did not stop.
Brian emphasized that Daichong was exceptionally careful: they studied weather conditions, understood the risk due to a low snowpack, and kept distance between groups. When he heard the cry of “Rocks!” from the group ahead, he instinctively stepped to the right, but he didn’t manage to warn his wife in time. After the tragedy, the climbers watched the sunrise at an elevation of 11,600 feet—a breathtaking sight, as Digel recalls—and waited for rescuers. Now he was left alone with their seven-year-old daughter, who was staying with relatives in China. When he left the park that Sunday, he wanted to be angry at the mountain—“but I couldn’t. It’s too beautiful. And you know, she loved that mountain.”
This story is not only about a tragic accident, but also about the philosophy of mountaineering that Daichong lived by: not to conquer, but to ask permission and to be awed. As her husband noted in an interview with The Seattle Times, she believed mountains do not wait for conquerors—they accept only those who come with respect. And although her life was cut short on a slope she loved so much, her approach remains a lesson for anyone who goes into the mountains.
A body in a high state of decomposition found in the Little Brook Creek natural area in Seattle
On Thursday afternoon, a body in a state of decomposition was found in Seattle, prompting police and medical examiner experts to get involved. The incident occurred in the Little Brook Creek natural area, located in the Lake City area. At about 2:30 p.m., patrol officers arrived at the intersection of 35th Avenue NE and 33rd Place NE after a passerby walking through a wooded section smelled a strong odor and discovered the remains. As reported by KOMO News, the body had likely been at the scene for quite some time, as indicated by the degree of decomposition. Investigators said the deceased was not a child, and the location was not connected to nearby homeless encampments, ruling out some early theories. The site where the remains were found is also known as the Greenspace Park on 36th Avenue. According to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the west side of the park is home to the Little Brook stream habitat—a tributary of the larger Thornton Creek. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office was called to determine the cause of death. No other details have been released so far, and police are continuing their investigation. The fact that the body was located in a difficult-to-access, wooded area away from residential buildings, along with the prolonged decomposition, makes timely identification and determining the circumstances of death harder. Local residents are likely concerned about such an incident in a quiet natural corner that is usually used for walking and relaxing. Authorities have not yet labeled the death as a crime, but the nature of the discovery and its condition suggest that careful examination is essential. Results from an autopsy are expected in the coming days, which should shed light on whether the death was violent or natural, and whether police will need to look for a suspect.
New investors for the “Seattle Seahawks”: who will join the owners?
After the record sale of the National Football League’s Seattle Seahawks for $9.612 billion, a group of new owners led by Vinod and Niro Khosla began talks to bring in additional partners. As reported by Seattle Sports, citing Bloomberg, the possible addition of several major players from the investment world to the ownership group is being discussed. Among them is Mark Stevens, managing partner at venture capital firm Sequoia Capital (whose personal net worth is estimated at $11.2 million, and who already holds a stake in the basketball club Golden State Warriors), as well as the private investment firm Sixth Street Partners, which already has stakes in NBA, MLB teams and even the NFL’s New England Patriots. In addition, interest in partnering has also been shown by Carlyle Group Inc. and Dynasty Equity Partners Management, both considering the possibility of filing a joint bid. In 2024, Carlyle Group already acquired a stake in the women’s soccer club Seattle Reign, while Dynasty owns part of the English club Liverpool. This lineup suggests that the Khoslas are trying to assemble a powerful pool of investors with experience in the sports business—likely to meet the NFL’s ownership-structure requirements, or simply to strengthen the financial base. For now, though, these are only plans: the league still must approve the sale to Paul Allen’s heirs. A special one-day meeting of NFL owners is expected on August 26 in Atlanta, where they will vote to approve the deal. If approval is granted, the new ownership group will begin working with an already prepared list of potential partners. Expanding an investor group like this is standard practice for sports franchises—especially when the amount is as huge as nearly $10 billion. For the Seahawks, that means not just a change of owners, but the arrival of an entire network of influential figures who could bring not only capital to the club, but also connections in the world of professional sports and business.
