NewsLocal News

Actions

Man dies while attempting to climb cliff for romantic birthday gesture in Garfield County

Posted at 2:25 PM, Apr 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-18 16:25:45-04

A man suffered fatal injuries after falling from this cliff in Garfield Canyon April 14, 2018. Image courtesy Garfield County Sheriff’s Office

GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — A man fell to his death in Garfield County last Saturday while climbing a cliff as part of a romantic gesture to celebrate his wife’s birthday.

According to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, the fatal incident occurred the evening of April 14 near mile marker 155  on Highway 89 in Circleville Canyon.

Authorities say 51-year-old Dee Jessop was celebrating his wife’s birthday and attempted to climb a cliff, where he planned to use a bow to fire “a lighted arrow into a painted heart.”

Denise Dastrup, a public information officer for Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, said the man and his wife were in the area with friends and family at the time.

Jessop slipped while climbing the cliff and fell between 50 and 60 feet. CPR was begun immediately and emergency responders arrived and transported the man to Garfield County Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.