An Arizona State University student is dead after she fell while rappelling from a cliff in the Tonto National Forest. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says 21-year-old Katelyn Conrad was rappelling in Coon Bluff, a popular recreation area near the Salt River, yesterday morning when the incident occurred. A Sheriff's Office spokesman says she fell about 125 feet and was unresponsive. Despite life-saving efforts by deputies, Conrad was pronounced dead.
Authorities say Conrad was part of a group of 20 climbers from ASU. They also say Conrad, who was from nearby Gilbert, was the daughter of a Phoenix police lieutenant. Investigators are looking into the cause but say it appears to be accidental. (More Tonto National Forest stories.)