California woman falls to death while hiking with family on Bear Mountain in Sedona, Arizona

By Kelly Murray | CNN

A tourist from California fell 140 feet to her death while on a family hike on Bear Mountain in Sedona, Arizona, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Zaynab Joseph, 40, was hiking with her 1-year-old child and husband when she fell down a cliff, according to the sheriff’s office.

A group of hikers stopped after hearing yelling, and while other members called 911, one of them hiked down an embankment. The hiker found that the woman was seriously injured but still breathing, sheriffs said.

“Unfortunately, she passed away shortly after,” the sheriff’s office said.

The child and husband were flown off the mountain, and the mother’s body was recovered, the sheriff’s office said.

The family had been renting an Airbnb in Sedona, sheriffs said.

Bear Mountain trail is described as “mostly unshaded, steep, and difficult in places,” according to the US Forest Service. It ascends 1,800 feet and is unsuitable for horses, the web site says.

The cause of the death is under investigation, and sheriffs said they conducted multiple interviews with hikers coming off the mountain. They have asked that anyone with information or who witnessed the fatal fall to contact them.

This is the third hiker death in Sedona this year, according to CNN affiliate KTVK.

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