A hiker has died after falling off a cliff edge, a mere day after posting a dramatic picture by an imposing rock ledge.
According to a recent press release from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, 29-year-old Jordan Brashears, who hails from Seattle in Washington, disappeared after walking with two acquaintances on the Boynton Canyon Trail in Arizona, on October 8.
When Breashears turned a corner and vanished without a trace, his two companions searched fruitlessly for him for around an hour before contacting the authorities.
During a search of the area the next morning, one of the hikers who had been with Brashears the day before found his water jug strewn on the east side of the canyon floor, followed by a number of Brashears' other possessions.
The next day, searchers found his body.
It was determined that he had fallen more than 100 feet from the rocky shelf above to the rocks below. Investigators found no evidence of foul play, and have ruled his death as a tragic accident.
In an official statement, a spokesperson for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office wrote:
"Deputies indicated that Jordan appeared to have fallen about 100 [feet] from where he landed and was found.
"Although not able to determine exactly how he got there, deputies believe he hiked away from his two companions and around the corner from the last place seen intending to climb one or two ledges/levels higher and fell from the edge."
According to a report by The Mercury News, Brashears, who had been hiking extensively over the past month in California and Arizona, shared a picture of himself perched on a dizzying precipe on his personal Instagram account on October 7.
The picture in question shows Brashears standing on the very edge of Sedona’s Cathedral Rock, accompanied by the caption: "Cathedral Rock... the vortex has spoken. [sic]"
According to The Mercury News, the so-called "vortex" which Brashears mentioned in his caption was a reference to a "power vortex" located in the Cathedral Rock area, which known for its ancient archaeological sites and the spiritual significance it holds to native American tribes.