Conly Warren Ruff: Utah boy, 17, dies after ‘slipping and falling’ 150ft off cliff while climbing close to edge

GRAND COUNTY, UTAH: A teenager after while hiking in Utah. This is the second such incident in eight days.

According to a press release from the , the 17-year-old boy died on Saturday, February 18, after he reportedly "slipped and plummeted approximately 150 feet" from a cliff at Hurricane Overlook while climbing close to the edge. The victim has been identified as Conly Warren Ruff in a pair of Facebook posts shared by his mother Sara Gleason Ruff.

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'It devastates us'

"It devastates us to announce the untimely and brother Conly Warren Ruff," Sara Gleason Ruff wrote on Facebook. "On February 18, 2023, Conly was involved in a fatal hiking accident that claimed his life," it added. "Funeral arrangements have not yet been discussed and will be communicated once completed."

How did Conly Warren Ruff die?

First responders were informed of the fall just before 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, the Hurricane City Police Department said in a news release. "Within 15 minutes units were able to climb down to the area and reach the male but it was found that he had not survived the fall," the HCPD said.

Ruff, a student at Hurricane High School, was said to have fallen over the cliff while climbing with a friend near the cliff’s edge of the Hurricane Overlook near 600 East SR-59. According to police, he is from LaVerkin, Utah. "We wish to offer our prayers and sincerest condolences to his family and friends after this tragic accident," the HCPD said following Saturday's incident.

'Heartbreaking to lose a student'

"It's always heartbreaking to lose a student from our community. There really are no words of comfort to help relieve the grief and pain," Washington County School District provided a  on Sunday. "We will have our crisis team available at Hurricane High on Tuesday when the students return. And we ask our parents and students to look out for their friends, to find those that are suffering through this loss, and direct them to one of our grief counselors."

On February 10, 17-year-old Zoe McKinney died after she slipped and fell about 30 feet off a cliff while hiking with friends on the Moab Rim Trail, according to police. The teen's friends called 911 for help after her fall, but she was reportedly dead by the time rescuers were able to reach her, reported earlier.