A teenager in Utah fell about 30 feet to her death while she was hiking at Kane Creek Canyon earlier on Friday afternoon, as per a news release from the Moab City Police Department.
The girl has been identified as a 17-year-old girl by officials and her boyfriend as Zoe Afton McKinney, she was hiking the Moab Rim Trail in east Utah with a group of her friends when she slipped and fell "off of a sheer cliff face," police said. Her friends without wasting any time called 911 and tried to get to the 17-year-old but were unable to do so safely.
Police, along with other law enforcement units, responded to the scene and were able to get to the victim using harnesses and climbing gear. The Grand County School District, where McKinney went to school, issued a statement on the teenager’s death on Friday.
The statement school wrote, “The school community is grieving with Zoe’s family and will provide love and support in any way we can, including having therapists available at school on Monday,”
They further went on to write, “Zoe was a remarkable student and we will honour her memory throughout the remainder of this senior year.”
US downs yet another airborne intruder, now over Canada
Mckinney was dating Lloyd Gist, 18, for almost a year before she died. Gist was in Salt Lake City when he was informed that his girlfriend had died.
Gist while talking to the media said, "She had the brightest smile," he continued saying, "She was just the sweetest — if anyone asked her to do anything she would be jumping on it instantly."
Being all emotional recollecting the encounters with her he said, "She complimented me on my beanie, and then the next day in class we started talking. Then we started hanging out almost every day. She showed me around town and introduced me to her friends, who became my friends."
Gist further said, "She would find a way around people if they told her no. She loved dirt biking. She was small and her feet wouldn't touch the ground, but she could ride a large dirt bike and be perfectly fine on it." Gist later informed the press that they were planning to start living together after they finish high school this summer.