Man's Fatal Plunge Yields Another Death

25-year-old man dies from fall in Arizona park, but his wasn't the only death officials discovered
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 7, 2020 8:03 AM CDT
Man's Fatal Plunge Yields Another Death
Stock photo of Glen Canyon in Arizona.   (Getty Images/g01xm)

A 25-year-old man plummeted to his death from an Arizona cliff, and in retrieving his body, a sheriff's deputy made another stunning find. A National Park Service release notes that a call came in around 9am Sunday that someone had fallen from a bluff at Glen Canyon Dam Overlook, perched above the Colorado River near Page, in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Witnesses say the victim, since identified as Orlando Serrano Arzola, had been taking pictures before he fell. Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jon Paxton says it appears Arzola had been climbing on the rocks to try to get a better view for his photos.

"When he tried to climb back out, evidently he lost his footing or rock hold," Paxton tells NBC News. Arzola fell about 100 feet, then slid another 150 feet, exhibiting no movement when his body finally stopped tumbling. A sheriff's office deputy was able to rappel to the body about a half-hour later and confirm Arzola had died. His body has since been transported to the Flagstaff medical examiner's office for an autopsy. Meanwhile, another NPS release notes the sheriff's deputy stumbled across another disturbing find near Arzola's body: bones that have since been identified as human remains. An investigation into that death is now underway, with no further information available. (More Arizona stories.)

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