JASPER — A 19-year-old woman fell to her death while hiking in a rugged area of northern Arkansas.
The Newton County sheriff's office said Jessamy Samuels of Rogers fell about 100 feet Sunday while hiking near Hawksbill Crag on the way to Whitaker Point. Sheriff Keith Slape called the fall "purely accidental."
Deputy Glenn Wheeler said the woman was hiking with a friend when she slipped on a rock and fell.
Wheeler said it took rescue teams several hours to retrieve her body.
Samuels was an incoming sophomore majoring in anthropology at the University of Arkansas, spokesman Steve Voorhies said.
Slape urged people to be cautious around Newton County's bluffs and rivers.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.