Hiker’s body recovered after apparent slip and fall from Arizona’s Bell Rock trail
A search and rescue team works to recover the body of a 38-year-old hiker after he suffered a fatal fall while hiking Bell Rock Butte near Sedona
By Rebekah Riess and Zoe Sottile, CNN
(CNN) — The body of an Arizona hiker was recovered Friday after he apparently “slipped and fell to his death” while hiking near Sedona, according to authorities.
The 38-year-old man was hiking an “extremely technical” section of one of the main trails to the top of Bell Rock Butte when he fell, according to a news release from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office received a welfare check call Thursday afternoon for a man who hadn’t shown up to work. Deputies found the man’s vehicle in the parking lot at Bell Rock and pinged his phone, which showed he was in the area, according to the release. The man’s roommate described him as an “avid hiker” who often hiked the Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock trails.
When Thursday evening came and the man still hadn’t returned home, officers initiated a search and called in a helicopter, according to the release. But “due to the darkness it was difficult to conduct a search,” says the sheriff’s office.
The search resumed at first light Friday, according to the release. The extensive search mission included search dogs, technical rescuers, a mountain bike team, and a drone team.
Eventually, Verde Search and Rescue was able to ascend to the top area of the mountain and “visually inspect each of the deep crevasses.” It was there they discovered the man’s remains.
He “looked to have been taking one of the main trails to the very top of the mountain,” wrote the sheriff’s office. “The section he was in was extremely technical and it appears the victim slipped and fell to his death.”
The hiker’s body was recovered by a technical ropes unit. His name has not been released.
Bell Rock Butte, one of Sedona’s most recognizable landmarks, reaches around 4,869 feet, according to the US Geological Survey. Some areas around the butte are “rocky and rough,” the US Forest Service said.
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CNN’s Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.
