Sheriff's office identifies teen who died after 100-foot fall in Santaquin Canyon


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SANTAQUIN — The family of a 16-year-old girl who died in a fall in Santaquin Canyon said in a short statement to law enforcement officials she was "beautiful inside and out."

Kaylee Marvin, of Santaquin, died after she fell about 100 feet while hiking with a friend at a waterfall in the canyon Monday morning, according to Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.

Search crews were called to a report of a fall about 4 miles from the mouth of Santaquin Canyon about 10:25 a.m., he said. Marvin was close to the top of a steep climb when she lost her footing while trying to cross a log and fell 100 feet, Cannon added.

Authorities initially said Marvin fell 60 feet but later corrected that information.

Marvin suffered serious head and leg injuries in the fall and was not conscious or breathing after the fall. Cannon said Marvin's friend performed CPR on Marvin until Utah County deputies and Santaquin police officers arrived at the scene. A search and rescue team and a medical helicopter were called out to the canyon as part of the rescue response.

Crews performed CPR on her for about 40 minutes and also used a defibrillator in an attempt to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, Cannon said.

Marvin's body was to be sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office Monday afternoon for an autopsy. However, Cannon said authorities are investigating it as a "tragic accident."

Santaquin Canyon was closed Monday morning because of the rescue and recovery operations related to the fall, according to Santaquin fire officials. The agency tweeted that the canyon remained closed as of Monday afternoon and urged people to avoid the area.


Editor's note: Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon initially said Marvin was hiking with a friend and her father, but he later said she was not with her father when she fell.

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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