University of Utah student dies in Hawaii falling off trail, police say

SALT LAKE CITY — A woman identified as 19-year-old University of Utah student Tiare Couto died New Year’s Day, after falling down a muddy trail, according to to Honolulu Police.

According to the incident report from HP, Couto went missing during a hike in the Haleiwa Area.

At 4 a.m., police said an officer was monitoring the parking lot of Sunset Elementary School when a group of females said they couldn’t find one of their friends.

The group told police they hiked out from a New Year’s party along the trail and were waiting for Couto to drive them home.

After three hours, Couto never exited the trail.

The incident report stated that an officer entered the trail when he heard someone calling for help. The officer located a male, who was not part of the group in the deep grass where the officer escorted him.

Another male who identified as being a father to one of the women in the group said Couto fell down the trail, according to the police.

The report stated a second search located Couto who was injured and unable to get up.

Emergency Medical Services transported Couto to a hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

In a Humans of the U Q&A conducted on Dec. 9, the interview stated Couto was born in Oahu, Hawaii, and moved to Salt Lake City to study environmental and political science.

“If you are feeling lost and don’t know what to do, just get involved as much as you can,” Couto said. “There are so many awesome opportunities out there that not everybody’s taking advantage of.”

This is a breaking news story. It may be updated.