NEWTON COUNTY (KFSM) -- The Newton County Sheriff's Office urged hikers to be cautious Monday (May 16) after a 19-year-old woman fell to her death from a bluff the day before.
Jessamy Samuels died Sunday after she fell about 100 feet off a bluff near Hawksbill Crag, Newton County Deputy Glenn Wheeler said.
"She basically hopped off a boulder and stumbled when she landed and fell off the bluff," he said. "With her it wasn't a case of improper footwear or doing something she shouldn't be doing necessarily."
Wheeler, who led the rescue effort, called Samuels' fall a tragic accident.
"Falls from bluff are very common [in Newton County,]" he said. "There's been several times on several occasions we've had [multiple falls] in one day."
While Hawksbill Crag is one of the most photographed areas in Arkansas, making it a popular destination for hikers, Wheeler urges visitors to keep the potential danger in mind.
"Few things are more spectacular than standing atop a 200-foot bluff looking out at the foliage below you, but there's risk involved in that and unfortunately, sometimes those risks come to fruition and we have to deal with that," he said.
Wheeler still encourages people to check out the sights, he just has a few pointers.
"Mostly it's just common sense," he said. "Proper footwear and just respecting it for what it is. It's a wild area, a dangerous area."
The last fatal fall near Hawksbill Crag was in December 2012 when Austin Elder, 19, of Fort Smith also fell a 100 feet from a bluff. He survived with critical injuries, but died several days later at the hospital.