Police identify woman who fell, died after climbing tree in Moab

MOAB — Police have identified a woman who was found dead at a Moab park on Monday, having fallen while climbing a tall tree.

A Moab resident was on a walk at Swanny Park, 400 N. 100 West, at about 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, when they noticed a tree branch on the ground under the largest tree in the southwest part of the park. The resident then saw that a person was partially covered by the branch and ran to the nearby Aquatic Center to call for help.

"Unfortunately, it was clear the woman found on the ground had passed away hours earlier and was beyond help," Moab police said in a statement Tuesday.

Moab police on Wednesday identified the woman as 35-year-old Megan Frost.

Investigators believe Frost arrived at the park sometime after 1:30 a.m. and had been climbing the large tree. At the top of the tree, she would have been about 40 feet from the ground. A broken branch was determined to have been part of two branches that formed a "V" shape at the top of the tree, police said.

"We believe the victim was standing in the 'V' when one of the branches broke, causing the victim to fall head-first onto the ground below," police said. "The fall would likely have been instantly fatal."

Frost's injuries are consistent with sustaining a fall from that height onto grass, but police are waiting for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Evidence points to the situation being a tragic accident, police said.

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