Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man dies after jumping from 50ft cliff at Lake Powell in Utah

The body of Ohio man Cory Ryan Ehrnschwender, 36, was recovered on Friday

Bevan Hurley
Sunday 23 July 2023 21:59 BST
Comments
A man has died after jumping from a cliff at Lake Powell
A man has died after jumping from a cliff at Lake Powell (Associated Press)

Your support helps us to tell the story

Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.

Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.

Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.

Head shot of Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

The body of an Ohio man who died after leaping from a 50-foot cliff into Lake Powell in Utah has been recovered, authorities said.

Cory Ryan Ehrnschwender, 36, died after jumping into the lake near Buoy 89 in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at about 11.45am on Thursday, according to a press release from the National Park Service (NPS).

Witnesses called 911 after Ehrnschwender failed to resurface, prompting a search by park rangers, officers from the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

Specialists from the Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team resumed the search on Friday and located his body via sonar in 30 feet of water, the NPS said.

His body was taken to Bullfrog, Utah, before being transfer to the Utah State Medical Examiner in Salt Lake City for an autopsy, officials said.

No cause of death has been released. An investigation by the NPS, the sheriff’s office and Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office is underway.

The NPS warned the public that it is illegal to jump from cliffs, ledges or man-made structures from a height of 15 feet or higher into Lake Powell.

Water levels at Lake Powell have fallen precipitously in recent years due to a two-decade “megadrought” in the southwest.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in