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Two people died but their cat miraculously survived after falling nearly 400 feet in a Utah national park.
Matthew Nanner, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58, died late Monday or early Tuesday after climbing over a railing at Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon National Park, according to local police.
“Detectives are considering all possibilities, but preliminary investigations have not been able to definitively determine the cause of the fall,” the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Wednesday.
There was snow in the area near where the pair fell, likely creating slippery conditions, Fox 13 reports.
The individuals’ last known place of residency was Florida, and they traveled to Utah after spending “a significant amount of time in Arizona,” police said.
“It appears they were living out of a U-Haul just prior to their deaths,” the sheriff’s office added.
Next of kin notifications about the deaths were completed on Wednesday.
Tourists spotted the bodies on Tuesday and notified officials, and a multi-agency effort, including the sheriff’s office and Bryce Canyon park rangers, conducted a mission to recover the remains.
A 12-year-old tabby cat named Mirage was found in a carrier near the bodies, Best Friends Animal Society told KUTV.
The animal appeared in good condition and was able to eat and drink on its own, the society said. Its bloodwork appeared normal and veterinarians have conducted X-rays to examine Mirage for internal injuries.
The cat was “matted and a bit sore, but friendly upon examination,” Erin O’Connor of Best Friends Animal Society told KSLTV.
The last time someone fatally fell in a national park in the Southwest was last year, when a 20-year-old died falling from Pipe Creek Overlook on the Grand Canyon, SFGate reports.
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