Hiker found dead at bottom of Oregon cliff, the second death in the area in less than a week
The body of a hiker was found Wednesday at the bottom of a cliff in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, local authorities said, marking the second time in less than a week that a hiker has died in the area.
Dispatchers received a report of a body on the Angel's Rest Trail just before 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The person was found approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead — but due to terrain conditions, officials could not recover the body on Wednesday and spent the night on top of the cliff.
More rescuers arrived in the area early Thursday morning, the statement said. Authorities are still in the process of recovering the body.
MCSO deputies are on-scene at Angel’s Rest Trail where a deceased person has been located at the bottom of a cliff. The area where the person is located is difficult to reach and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue has been activated to recover the body. pic.twitter.com/0WEZT5PRdY
— Multnomah Co. Sheriff’s Office (@MultCoSO) August 24, 2022
The hiker, who has not been identified, was believed to have been traveling alone. Their death remains under investigation.
The death comes after another hiker suffered a fatal fall in the gorge last Friday. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said a hiker, later identified as 62-year-old Jessica Warejoncas, died after falling an estimated 100 feet near a waterfall.
Warejoncas was hiking with a group of friends at the time of her fall, the sheriff's office said. Her death is not considered suspicious.