Utah hiker, 19, who inadvertently filmed her own death after setting up phone to record beside river she drowned in is identified
A 19-year-old hiker who tragically drowned in a Utah waterfall and accidentally filmed her own death has been identified.
Cynthia Ann Grimwood of Springville went hiking with her dog around 3 pm on Friday afternoon at Horsetail Falls in Alpine, and was swept away in the fast moving current after falling into the swollen river.
Two hikers found a small dog and her cell phone that captured the teen walking into the water before she disappeared, the Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon told KSL.com.
The water level was ‘abnormally high’ that day and officials have called the young woman’s death a ‘tragic accident.’
Cynthia’s body was located on Friday night two hours after the tragedy. Multiple search and rescue crews were involved in locating the teen’s remains. On Saturday, her body was recovered before her identity was confirmed on Monday.
Cynthia Ann Grimwood, 19, of Springville, Utah went hiking with her dog around 3pm Friday afternoon at Horsetail Falls in Alpine and was swept away by the fast moving current
A photo of Cynthia holding a daisy
Officials said the stream was swollen with runoff water near Horsetail Falls in the mountains above Alpine in Utah County during Cynthia’s fateful hike. Horsetail Falls is approximately 35 miles away south of Salt Lake City.
The two hikers, who found Cynthia’s belongings and dog, were concerned that someone may have fallen into the water of Dry Creek and could be in trouble and called the sheriff’s office.
Once they viewed the video on the teen’s cell phone, showing her near the water before she was carried out by the heavy water flow, officials said in a statement.
Utah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) responded to the area, along with firefighters from several different agencies in northern Utah County, who specialize in water rescue mission.
A helicopter with the Utah Department of Public Safety also assisted in the search.
 Officials said said the water level was ‘abnormally high’ that day and called the young woman’s death a ‘tragic accident’
Cynthia’s body was recovered about 100 yards below Horsetail Falls stuck under some trees submerged in the water
Cynthia is pictured here with a friend or relative
Her body was recovered about 100 yards below Horsetail Falls stuck under some trees and submerged in the water.
‘The area where the victim was stuck in the water was full with heavy snow melt runoff and conditions were treacherous. The steep rock walls around the area made it very difficult to access,’ officials said.
Search and rescue crews held off on retrieving Cynthia’s body until early Saturday since recovering it sooner posed a great risk.
Volunteers who were then participating in the search and rescue stayed at the scene overnight to watch the body until they were able to transport it to the medical examiner’s office.
The autopsy has not yet determined the cause of death.
The blue-eyed, brown-haired teen was a talented athlete, who had played second base, third base and short stop on the Springville High School softball team.
The crews expressed condolences to the young woman’s family.