ASU Student Dies in Rappelling Accident

Katelyn Conrad plummeted 125 feet in Tonto National Forest
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 18, 2015 11:58 AM CST
ASU Student Dies in Rappelling Accident
This April 19, 2012 photo shows Salome Creek in Salome Canyon, in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. An ASU student died yesterday while rappelling in the park.   (AP Photo/Charmaine Noronha)

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.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X