Woman falls to her death from cliff in Arizona's Cococino National Forest

Police are investigating after a woman fell to her death off a cliff in the Coconino National Forest in Arizona. Authorities identified the victim as 44-year-old Jennifer Petri. 

Shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday, Petri's friend called authorities to report she had fallen about 20 feet off a cliff in West Clear Creek and was "no longer visible," the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted to Facebook. 

Petri fell in an area known to locals as "The Bluffs," located 200 feet above West Clear Creek, according to the sheriff's office. 

"Steep sections of this trail can be a problem to a hiker loaded with a heavy backpack," according to the USDA Forest Service. 

Multiple volunteer resources, fire officials and an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter were called to scene to help find Petri, the sheriff's office said. 

"The terrain was steep and dangerous, making it difficult for rescuers to conduct for a search," the sheriff's office said. 

Deputies using binoculars were able to spot Petri at the base of a cliff just above the water edge, officials said.

A trooper was dropped off at the base of the cliff by the helicopter to asses Petri's condition and it was determined she had died. She was then airlifted out of the canyon, the sheriff's office said. 

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is investigating Petri's fall. 

Petri, of Camp Verde, was a wife and a mother of four, and she worked as a server at Denny's for 15 years, KPNX reported. 

"She was everyone's friend," Danae Wolf told the station. "She had so much compassion for people and empathy. And it's really something I looked up to."