Grand Canyon visitor falls 20-feet to her death, park officials say

GRAND CANYON - The National Park Service (NPS) says a Utah woman died at the Grand Canyon National Park after a 20-foot fall on April 4.

"Margaret Osswald, 34, of Salt Lake City, Utah was near camp when she fell approximately 20 feet and sustained fatal injuries. Members of the group noted she was unresponsive and began CPR," said Joelle Baird with NPS.

Her fall was reported around 6:30 p.m., and two hours later near Ledges Camp along the Colorado River, she was found. Park officials requested help from the Arizona Department of Public Safety's emergency helicopter response team due to it being dark when they began searching.

"Osswald hiked into the canyon to meet the river trip at Phantom Ranch and was on day 6 of a multi-day private boating trip. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner," Baird said.

No further information about this incident is available.

This is the second death investigation at Grand Canyon in two weeks after a woman died during a multi-day boating trip on the Colorado River.

National Park Service officials were alerted to an emergency near Hance Rapid just before 11:30 a.m. on March 24.

Mary Kelley, a 68-year-old woman from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, entered the river at the top of Hance Rapid. Members of her group pulled her out of the water, discovered she was unresponsive and began CPR.

"Park rangers were flown into the location with the park helicopter and all resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful," Baird said.

Kelley was on day 9 of her private boating trip.

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