‘Night of tears.’ Friends mourn 17-year-old cheerleader killed in fall off Utah cliff

A “remarkable” 17-year-old girl died after falling from a cliff near Moab while hiking with friends, Utah police reported.

Zoe McKinney, a senior at Grand County High School, died Friday, Feb. 10, in the accident, the Grand County School District reported in a news release.

“Been a full last night of tears into today,” Rebecca Monceaux, whose daughter, Avery Orton, was a cheerleader with Zoe, told KSTU. “It’s a really tough loss for these girls.”

Zoe fell 30 feet down a “sheer cliff face” while hiking the Moab Rim Trail in the Kane Creek Canyon area with friends, Moab police said in a news release.

Her friends called 911 and tried to reach Zoe, but could not find a safe way down to her, the release said. Emergency crews rappelled down to her, but she was dead.

Rescuers worked for more than two hours to recover her body, the release said.

“We recognize the devastating impact the loss of a beloved young woman and friend has in this small community, but know that wonderful people of Moab will band together to support and comfort her family and friends at this time,” Chief Jared Garcia wrote in a statement.

“Zoe was a remarkable student and we will honor her memory throughout the remainder of this senior year,” school officials said.

“She was tiny, but she was mighty,” Marcy Mason, mother of another cheerleader, told KSTU.

“All of the girls on her team and all of her friends in high school really looked up to her as somebody they could become one day,” Monceaux told the station.