Woman In Crisis Falls to Her Death at State Park in Southeast Minnesota

Winona, MN (KROC-AM News)- Authorities in Winona County say a woman in crisis fell to her death at a state park Wednesday evening. 

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A news release from the Winona County Sheriff’s Office says the Minneapolis Police Department requested the agency to do a welfare check around 7:45 p.m.

Minneapolis Police were asked to check on the woman and learned through a cell phone ping that the woman was in Winona County. 

Deputies responded to the location of the ping at John Latsch State Park, which is about 13 miles northwest of Winona. First responders found the woman’s unoccupied vehicle in the park then found the woman sitting on an overlook off of a trail after initiating a search for her, the news release says. 

Deputies and crisis negotiators talked with the woman for roughly 90 minutes before she fell from the ledge. First responders began conducting rescue efforts immediately and found the woman about 100 feet down the hillside from where she was sitting, officials say. 

She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was sent to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester for an autopsy.

Officials say her identity will be released following the completion of the autopsy and notification of her next of kin. 

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website. Resource information is provided for free as well as a chat message service. To speak directly to a professional, call 988. You are not alone and help is available. Every life is important.

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