A California mother plunged 140 feet to her death while she was hiking with her baby and husband on an Arizona mountain Monday, local authorities said.
The woman, identified as Zaynab Joseph, was found by a group of hikers when they heard her screaming in agony on an embankment after she plummeted down a steep cliff on Bear Mountain, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.
One hiker in the group hurried down the embankment where Joseph, 40, was still breathing but died shortly after, the sheriff’s office said.
The husband and the couple’s child were airlifted off the mountain and the body of Joseph was retrieved by first responders.
The family was staying at an Airbnb in Sedona while on a trip from California, authorities said.
The cause of the fatal incident is under investigation with sheriff officials conducting multiple interviews with hikers after they came off the mountain.
A woman who identifies as the victim’s sister said Joseph had a “heart of gold,” People.com reported.
“No words can describe the pain our families are going through, especially her husband and three young children,” Farwa Zaidi wrote on a Facebook post.
Bear Mountain is considered a “strenuous hike” because “it’s mostly unshaded, steep and difficult in places,” according to the US Forest Service.
It’s unclear where Joseph and her family were hiking before she fell.
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