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Florida Woman Falls to Her Death From Grand Canyon After Posting Photo at Edge of Cliff

A Florida woman has died after falling off a cliff at Grand Canyon National Park on Friday, July 8, according to the Associated Press.

Officials say 35-year-old Orlando resident Colleen Burns accidentally stepped off an edge at Ooh Aah Point, about a mile down the popular South Kaibab Trail, the AP reports. Park rangers told the AP that they located her body about 400 feet from where she was standing.

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Burns, who worked as a marketing director for southeastern cities at Yelp, had been hiking with friends prior to the fatal accident and even posted a photo of herself sitting on the brink of a cliff and taking in the scenery. “That view tho,” she captioned the Instagram photo on Friday. Earlier the same day she posted another photo of a colorful sunset. “Grand Canyon Sunset,” she wrote with a checkmark emoji.

That view tho ???

A post shared by Colleen Burns (@colleenburns) on

The tragic news was announced Monday, July 11, and the Coconino County, Arizona, medical examiner’s office is investigating her cause of death.

Jessica Roman, who was vacationing with Burns and another pal, told Orlando’s WESH they had just taken a picture at Ooh Ahh Point and were switching out spots with another group when Burns lost her footing and fell.

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“She was stepping out of the way for another gentleman to kind of squeeze in, and unfortunately, Colleen kind of got tripped up on her own feet and fell backwards, fell into the canyon,” Roman told the local news station. “That was the longest, strangest, craziest two seconds of my life.”

“Those last two seconds where everything changed are so minute in comparison to all the memories I have with her,” Roman continued.

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Yelp issued a statement on Burns’ death, noting all her accomplishments at the company and the joy she brought to the office. “We are deeply saddened by the death of Colleen Burns, a cherished Yelp colleagues and friend. Colleen launched the Yelp community in Orlando nearly seven years ago. Her passing represents a tremendous loss to our company, the communities she supported and the many friends she made while doing what she loved. We are heartbroken but thankful to have been positively shaped by her passion and joy for life,” the company statement read, according to WESH.

Burns was also a longtime fan and friend of well-known DJ and record producer Kaskade. The EDM artist paid tribute to Burns on his official website, writing that she had “an unmatched enthusiasm for life, the fire in her eyes and that crazy infectious smile.”

Kim Rittberg and Ian Drew discussed all the latest on this story during Us Weekly's Facebook Live News Update. Check it out!

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