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PICTURED: Girl, 17, fell about 30 feet to death while hiking in Utah’s Kane Creek Canyon; police say she was “too close to the edge” and lost her balance
- Zoe McKinney was walking with a group of friends when she fell 30 feet
- Police had trouble reaching the teen due to how far she had fallen.
- When they finally recovered her body, she was immediately pronounced dead.
A 17-year-old girl has died after losing her balance and falling 30 feet from a ledge on a Utah hiking trail.
Zoe McKinney was walking with a group of friends on the trail near Kane Creek in the city of Moab on Friday afternoon.
He had reached a steep area and had no gear before he fell off the ledge.
Police received a call about McKinney’s fall around 4:10 p.m., but officers struggled to reach her due to how far she had fallen, calling it a “deep, rocky area.”
With the help of several other departments in the region, an officer was able to rappel using ropes and harnesses to reach the 17-year-old. McKinney was pronounced dead at the scene.
Zoe McKinney was walking with a group of friends on the trail near Kane Creek in the city of Moab on Friday afternoon. She had reached a steep area and had no gear before falling off the ledge.
Moab Police Deputy Chief Lex Bell said he knew McKinney and felt the entire community would be heartbroken by his death.
“She’s very well known in the community and I’ve met her,” Bell said. It is incredibly tragic.
McKinney was to receive an award from his school, Grand County High School, at halftime of the varsity basketball game that same night.
“The timing is even more tragic with tonight and what was going to happen,” Bell added.
The assistant police chief referred to Moab and Grand County as a close-knit community where everyone knew each other and McKinney had numerous family and friends in the area.
A digital image of the wide expanse of Kane Creek Canyon in Utah, near where McKinney fell
McKinney was to receive an award from his school, Grand County High School, at halftime of the varsity basketball game that same night.
Moab Police Deputy Chief Lex Bell said he knew McKinney and felt the entire community would be heartbroken by his death.
“She’s very well known in the community and I’ve met her,” Bell said. “It’s unbelievably tragic,” the chief said.
The assistant police chief referred to Moab and Grand County as a close-knit community where everyone knew each other and McKinney had numerous family and friends in the area.
We are all very excited. Some much more than others. Many of us are fathers and mothers of children of that age. Including myself,’ said Bell KUTV. ‘These are the most difficult things we deal with. So yes, there were a lot of tears at the scene and there will be.
Grand County High School released a statement identifying McKinney Friday night.
“The school community is in mourning with Zoe’s family and will provide love and support in any way we can, including having therapists available at the school on Monday. Zoe was a remarkable student and we will honor her memory for the remainder of this senior year,” school officials wrote.
The school district provided a hotline for any student seeking counseling following McKinney’s passing.