Woman posts Instagram photo at Grand Canyon moments before falling to her death

The Yelp marketing executive was hiking with friends when she lost her footing

 

Rachael Revesz
New York
Wednesday 13 July 2016 13:29 BST
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Colleen Burns fell 400 feet after she tripped up
Colleen Burns fell 400 feet after she tripped up

A woman who fell to her death in the Grand Canyon had been posing for pictures along the trail just minutes before, according to her social media posts.

Colleen Burns, 35, fell 400 feet last week. As she was hiking along the path with friends, she posted an Instagram picture of sitting at the edge of a cliff, admiring the view.

The Florida woman slipped off the Ooh Aah Point, a well-known spot for photos, about a mile along the popular South Kaibab Trail.

She was on holiday with two friends in Arizona and they had been walking to take pictures of the sunset.

“She was stepping out of the way for another gentleman to kind of squeeze in, and unfortunately, Colleen kind of got tripped up on her own feet and fell backwards, fell into the canyon,” her friend Jessica Roman told WESH-TV.

“That was the longest, strangest, craziest two seconds of my life,” she added.

Park rangers found Ms Burns about 400 feet from where she had been standing. They announced her death on Monday.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County medical examiner are investigating the incident.

Ms Burns worked as a marketing director for Yelp near Orlando.

She had two Yorkshire Terriers and was a keen hiker and fan of American DJ Kaskade, creating a group called "Kaskade Connect".

Yelp released a statement which said they are “deeply saddened” by Ms Burns’ death.

“Her passing represents a tremendous loss to our company, the communities she supported and the many friends she made while doing what she loved,” the statement said.

"We are heartbroken but thankful to have been positively shaped by her passion and joy for life."

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