A young girl tragically died after losing her footing while on a hike in Utah.
17-year-old Zoe McKinney was enjoying the outdoors with a group of friends that took to the trail near Moab’s Kane Creek on Friday.
According to the reports, the teenager at one point reached a steep slope in a “deep, cliffy area” where she lost her footing and plunged to her death after losing her footing.
While the first responders were called to the scene sometime after 4 pm, the rescue crew struggled to reach Zoe due to her inaccessible location.
Unfortunately, the teen was pronounced dead at the scene after rescuers managed to reach her using ropes and harnesses.
“She’s really well-known in the community and I’ve met her. It’s unbelievably tragic,” Moab Police Assistant Chief Lex Bell said.
“The timing is even just that much more tragic with tonight and what was going to occur,” he added as he revealed that Zoe was set to receive an award from Grand County High School on the day she died.
“We’re all very emotional. Some much more than others. A lot of us are fathers and mothers of children about that age. Myself included. These are the hardest things that we deal with. So yeah, there were a lot of tears on scene and there will be.”
Paying a tribute were also school officials who branded Zoe as a remarkable student.
“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. Zoe was a remarkable student and we will honor her memory throughout the remainder of this senior year,” the school’s statement reads.
Our thoughts are with Zoe’s family and friends during this challenging time.
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