YOUR AD HERE »

UPDATE: Law enforcement identifies teen who died in fall by Emerald Bay

The view of Emerald Bay from the parking lot above the Vikingsholm Trail.
Ryan Hoffman / Tahoe Daily Tribune

A teenager visiting the Tahoe area with her family died Wednesday after falling more than 50 feet while hiking in the Emerald Bay area.

According to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, 14-year-old Chloe Conn, of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, was hiking on the popular Vikingsholm Trail in Emerald Bay with her parents and older brother Wednesday.

The family veered off the trail a short distance from the parking lot and onto a rock outcrop where she fell, said Damian Frisby, deputy sheriff and search and rescue coordinator for the sheriff’s office. While the outcrop does offer scenic views of one of Tahoe’s most iconic areas, it can be deceiving.

“It gradually descends more and more until it drops,” Frisby said, adding that in the past year he has responded to approximately four rescues in that area where a person either fell or needed assistance getting back up.

“It’s a little hard to judge.”

Law enforcement first received the report shortly after noon Wednesday. An off-duty law enforcement officer, who was recreating in the area, began CPR on Conn before on-duty officials arrived.

She sustained major injuries as a result of the fall, and extensive life saving efforts were conducted on scene, according to a press release. Conn was ultimately transported to Barton Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

While it was not that far away, Wednesday’s incident occurred in a different location than where Airman 1st Class Tyler Oimoen fell and died in September 2016. Oimoen was hiking near Cascade Falls in the Emerald Bay area when he fell 40 feet from granite rocks, then tumbled another 60 feet on the rocky terrain.

Frisby urged people to be safe and be aware when recreating.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.