Woman found dead after falling backward off California beach cliff

A woman was found dead on a beach near Morro Bay after witnesses saw her fall backward off a 70-foot cliff, the San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s office said.

The incident occurred around 4:30 pm Sunday at Spooner’s Cove, in Montaña de Oro State Park. Park rangers were told that a woman who was walking alone had stepped backward off the cliff overlooking a rocky beach.

The body was spotted in an area that wasn’t easily accessible; a California Highway Patrol helicopter was called in for its recovery.

Pending notification of her family, the victim was identified only as a woman in her late 40s.

The sheriff’s report said foul play is not suspected and that an autopsy will be conducted.