California woman dies in fall down 140-foot cliff while hiking with husband, toddler in Arizona
A California woman fell 140 feet off a cliff to her death Monday morning while hiking with her husband and 1-year-old child on a mountain in Arizona, authorities said.
Zaynab Joseph, 40, was found seriously injured on Bear Mountain in Sedona after a group of hikers heard yelling and stopped to investigate, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.
The group called 911 while one hiker went down an embankment to reach Joseph. While she was still breathing when the hiker arrived at her side, the sheriff’s office said she died a short time later.
Joseph’s husband and toddler were flown off the mountain while rangers and search and rescue volunteers recovered her body.
Investigators have interviewed multiple hikers coming off the mountain, but the sheriff’s office said the incident is still under investigation.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told Fox News Digital Thursday there were no updates, though more information will be shared as soon as it is available.
Joseph and her family are from California and were renting an Airbnb in Sedona, according to authorities. Friends and family paid tribute to the mother of three on Facebook.
"She had a heart of gold and was very dear to all of us," Farwa Zaidi wrote. "No words can describe the pain our families are going through, especially her husband and three young children."
Bear Mountain Trail is described as a "strenuous hike" and is "mostly unshaded, steep and difficult in places," according to the U.S. Forest Service. The trail climbs over 1,800 feet in elevation over the 2.3-mile trek to the top of the mountain.