A teen visiting from California was found dead at Horseshoe Bend on Christmas Eve, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the initial investigation indicates that the girl had an accidental fall; however, the incident is still under investigation and pending review by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Monday, December 24 the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to Horseshoe Bend Overlook for a report of a missing 14-year-old girl. Her family had last seen her around 2 pm at the overlook and reported her missing around 4 pm.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Air Rescue out of Flagstaff responded to search the area. Personnel aboard the DPS helicopter visually located the missing juvenile deceased at the bottom of Horseshoe Bend, approximately 700 ft below the overlook. Due to impending nightfall, rescuers were not able to recover her body that evening. Sheriff’s Office SAR and the DPS helicopter returned the next morning and recovered the body of the girl on December 25 around 10 am. The girl’s body was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office in Flagstaff, AZ.
The family was visiting from the greater San Jose, California area.