Bad Start For Hikers This Weekend

An Arizona man fell to his death.

The body of a man was discovered at the base of a Papago Park butte Friday night in Phoenix.

Police believe the man, whose name has not been released, may have been hiking the park's elevated trails when he fell to his death.

A Colorado man also fell to his death.

It took fifteen members of El Paso County Search and Rescue nearly four hours to recover a 60 year old local man’s body discovered near St. Mary’s Falls, west of Colorado Springs. A hiker spotted the body, at around 12:30 Saturday. Robert McCandless says, “I was hiking up to St. Mary’s Falls, saw a yellow something that stood out.”

McCandless hiked up to the body and checked for a pulse, but says, “It was pretty obvious he was dead because…ashen complexion…and I took his pulse, shook him just to make sure, but it was pretty obvious.”

According to the Sheriff’s office it appears the man was hiking next to the falls in what was described as “steep terrain” when fell to his death. McCandless also supports the theory given by authorities. “It was pretty much straight up from where he was; my guess is that he was up higher and fell down.”

There were many rescues across the country as well. My condolences to their friends and families.

Update: Colorado hiker identified.

A hiker who fell to his death at St. Mary's Falls was a prominent Colorado Springs businessman who had sued the Catholic Church, accusing a priest of sexually abusing him as a child.

The victim was Edward Anthony Murphy, 59, according to El Paso County sheriff's Lt. Lari Sevene.

Murphy died at the scene Saturday after he fell more than 25 feet while descending from a morning hike to the summit of Stove Mountain, on the side of Mount Rosa.
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Besides his prominent family, Edward was becoming known for helping expose sexual abuse by priests when he, Martin and John revealed they had been victims of a priest.

The brothers sued the Catholic Diocese of Denver in August 2006 alleging molestation by the Rev. Leonard Abercrombie in the 1950s. Abercrombie, a longtime friend of Martin and Gertrude Murphy, died in 1994.

Before his death, Sheila Murphy confronted the priest on the phone and she said he made a partial confession before his death.

Once again my condolences to his friends and family.