Woman dies after falling 60ft off cliff at Oregon hiking spot

Thursday, May 23, 2024 - A female hiker tragically fell 60 feet to her death while on a popular trail in Oregon with friends, but none of them saw her fall.

Elisha Angelic Macias, 22, from Hillsboro, was hiking near the Oreonta Trail on Sunday, May 19, when the horror incident happened.

She and her friends were exploring the 'Waterfall Corridor', west of Multnomah Falls, when she became separated from the group.

Deputies were alerted and when they arrived another hiker was performing CPR on Macias.

She was sadly pronounced dead at the scene by Cascade Locks Fire & EMS personnel at around 4.35pm, shortly after they arrived.

Search and rescue teams believe she fell 50 to 60 feet from a cliff west of the Horsetail Falls Trailhead.

"No one in the group saw her fall," the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Search and rescue teams assisted in recovering her body and volunteers provided trauma-informed care and resources for those affected, it added.

According to her social media, Macias was a teacher at Belmont Academy and originally from the Bronx.

Just last month the 22-year-old vacationed with friends in Las Vegas to celebrate a birthday.

Friends of Macias took to social media to express their heartbreak over her death.

"No words are going to truly describe what’s going on in my head but Elisha you were an amazing person through and through," her close friend wrote on Instagram.

"You helped me in one of my darkest and lowest moments and I’m so grateful I got the chance to love and be loved by you.

"You’ll always be in my mind and forever in my heart. I’m just glad our little angel isn’t alone in heaven anymore. Rest easy Elisha."

Another added on Facebook: "Rest in peace Elisha Macias You were a literal angel. Even your middle name is 'angelic'. You were such a special soul on this planet."

Macias's tragic passing marks the second fatality in the popular hiking area this Spring, as reported by the Statesman Journal.

On March 15, a 61-year-old woman was discovered dead at the bottom of a cliff near Horsetail Falls Trailhead after hiking the Oneonta Trail.