An Ohio man has died following a cliff-jumping incident on the Utah side of Lake Powell.
The victim was identified as Cory Ryan Ehrnschwender, 36, from Cincinnati. He lost his life while attempting a jump near Buoy 89 in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
On Thursday, July 20, around noon, the Glen Canyon Communications Center received a distress call. The 911 caller reported a potential cliff-jumping fatality roughly a quarter of a mile south of Buoy 89. Witnesses said that Ehrnschwender had leapt from a height of 50 feet and failed to resurface.
A joint search was promptly initiated by the Utah Department of Natural Resources, the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.
It was not until the following morning that divers from the Utah Department of Public Safety, employing sonar technology, discovered the victim’s body 30 feet underwater.
Officials are presently investigating the circumstances that contributed to Ehrnschwender’s death. Meanwhile, the Utah State Medical Examiner in Salt Lake City is conducting an autopsy.
Visitors to the Lake Powell area are prohibited from jumping or diving from heights more than 15 feet above the water.