A 39-year-old woman has sadly lost her life after her car plunged 1,000 feet down a cliff in Prescott, Arizona. On Friday, August 16, Kristin Little was ejected from her vehicle, which subsequently fell in the Thumb Butte area of Prescott, resulting in her tragic death.
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According to a news release from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO), Little is believed to have been driving along Thumb Butte Loop Road when she veered left, causing her vehicle to go off the road and down the mountain.
YSCO deputies arrived at the scene around 5 p.m. local time. They initiated a careful process to locate and retrieve Little.
“Deputies were able to locate the vehicle approximately 1000 feet down the steep mountainside. After hiking down, [they] also located a deceased occupant of the car,” the release explained. “The victim was identified as 39-year-old Kristin Little of Prescott, who had been ejected from the car about halfway down the mountainside.”
“Due to the difficult terrain and the coming darkness, the decision was made to wait until light this morning to recover the victim. YCSO personnel [remained] with Ms. Little throughout the night,” the YSCO added.
Little was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office on Saturday, August 17. No other passengers were located, nor did anyone appear to be driving with her at the time of the incident.
The Woman’s Dog Stayed by Her Side After Her Car Fell Off the Cliff
She had been traveling with her dog, CJ, who escaped unharmed and was taken to her parents’ home.
“When Krissy rolled her car, CJ must’ve bounced out. When the rescuers got to the location they found CJ next to Krissy’s body,” her mother, Jinger Cutting, told Fox 10 Phoenix.
“Kristin was the light of my life,” Jinger Cutting told the outlet. “She and I hiked all the time, all the time. We would take off, and we would meet at my office or somewhere downtown. We would just go hiking out on Thumb Butte, or we’d go hiking somewhere around the lakes.”
Cutting pointed out that her daughter’s smartwatch enabled first responders to locate her more quickly. She also noted that her daughter had been enrolled in the Yavapai County emergency notification system. This further enhanced their response time.
“Had she not been wearing that or had that notification, it could’ve been days before we found Kris,” she explained to Fox 10.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway.