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MCSO: Body discovered at bottom of cliff near Angel’s Rest Trail

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A dead body has reportedly been found near a popular hiking trail in Multnomah County.

According to a tweet from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday afternoon, the body was discovered at the bottom of a cliff near Angel’s Rest Trail. Deputies were responding to the scene around 2 p.m.

“The body is deceased, yes, and it does appear to be from a fall,” said Brian Gerkman, Multnomah County Search and Rescue Coordinator. “We don’t know exactly how long that body has been up there, but a lot of people go up there. So, I would imagine if it had been there several days, we probably would have gotten a call about it.”

The area where the body is located is reportedly hard to reach, so MCSO’s Search and Rescue Team has been called in to help with the recovery.

“It’s going to be very rocky, steep terrain, with thick brush and things of that nature. So, it will be a very tough extraction, so they are the right team for the job,” Gerkman said.

This news comes days after a woman fell to her death at the nearby Multnomah Falls.

At around 1:20 p.m. on Friday, firefighters hiked up the Multnomah Falls trail to the woman who had reportedly fallen about 100 feet. She was located near Wisendanger Falls, past the top of Multnomah Falls itself.

Bystanders reportedly attempted to perform CPR — but sadly, the woman was declared dead at the scene. She was identified as 62-year-old Jessica Warejoncas from Minnesota on Monday.

Gerkman says the recent tragedies should serve as a reminder of how dangerous the terrain can be.

“You need to be prepared, you need to wear proper footing, you need to know where you’re going, have a plan and communicate that plan with your family so if you don’t return at a certain time, they call us and give us an idea of where you might be going,” Gerkman said.

This is a developing story, more updates to come.