SUTTON, Massachusetts — A woman fell to her death Wednesday while on a hike with three of her four children, according to our news partner Boston 25 News.
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Carolyn Sanger, 49, fell between 50 and 75 feet while hiking Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, Massachusetts and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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“We believe it was simply a loss of footing and a trip,” said family friend Tim Paoli to Boston 25 News. “That particular part of the trail, my understanding is it’s a scarier part of the trail. We don’t believe she was on her phone or anything like that.”
Police say one of the children alerted a park ranger who called 911.
The routes in Purgatory Chasm are clearly marked, according to CNN, but there are edges with sharp drops.
“There are trails above the chasm that you can go on and there are some dangerous overhangs there. If you’re going to the edge to look down, you can definitely slip and go down that way,” hiker Andy Spears told CNN.
Due to the rocky, steep terrain, recovering Sanger’s body took rescuers hours.
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