Rescuers find body of woman who went missing near Horsetail Falls above Alpine
Jun 7, 2024, 8:39 PM | Updated: Jun 10, 2024, 7:34 pm
ALPINE, Utah County — Utah County search and rescue crews found the body of a woman who went missing near Horsetail Falls Friday evening.
Authorities identified the 19-year-old woman Monday as Cynthia Ann Grimwood of Springville.
Rescue crews recovered the 19-year-old woman’s body on Saturday who went missing near Horsetail Falls Friday. (Alex Cabrero, KSL TV)
“She had set up a phone to record herself getting in and the current I think is likely that it was just more than what she anticipated and washed her down the river and then the search was on from there,” said Sergeant Spencer Cannon, with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
He said two hikers reported finding a dog and a phone “showing a young woman walking in the river.” The hikers said the dog was “waiting for its owner.” Cannon said they were suspicious and reported their findings to officials.
Cannon said the video content on the phone appeared to show that Grimwood was just there to enjoy the outdoors. He said Grimwood was dead when crews found her Friday.
“She was quite a ways down the river and lodged up against a tree underwater,” he said. “Even if it wasn’t high water, it would have been difficult to access just because of the nature of the terrain. And when you add in the water factor, it made it really, really challenging to get to.”
Cannon said crews had to wait for daylight Saturday to bring her body down because the risk to responders was too great.
“As it got towards dark, we just couldn’t take the risk of putting up a system of ropes and pulleys over the river,” he said.
Utah County Sheriff Garrett Dutson said the waters at Horsetail Falls are abnormally high and moving fast.
“I would say it’s gone from a creek to a river, and the temperatures in the water right now, they’re saying are in the 30s and 40s,” Dutson said. Investigators said if you decide to go on a hike, it’s a good idea to take other people with you and to stay away from fast-moving water.
Dutson said Grimwood’s personal belongings and her dog were returned to her family. Dutson said there was no foul play, and her death was a tragic accident.
“The feeling is, is that you always want to bring about a positive outcome, but unfortunately, the only positive aspect of that outcome was that they were able to recover her body,” Cannon said.
