Mother Falls to Her Death While Hiking with 3 of Her Children: ‘Left the Earth Doing What She Loved’

A woman fell to her death while on a hike with her family in Sutton, Mass., on Wednesday, April 23, per a Sutton Police Department (SPD) news release.

Carolyn “Carrie” Sanger, 49, was on a hike with three of her four children and additional family members when she fell approximately 50-75 feet into the Purgatory Chasm State Reserve. Authorities received a call around 1:45 p.m. local time, reporting a woman had fallen into the Chasm, which is around a quarter of a mile within granite bedrock walls, and features caves and cliffs.

“There were multiple medical professionals in the area hiking the Chasm at the same time, and were able to provide medical attention right away,” SPD said. But Sanger succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after.

The fall appears accidental; however, an investigation into the incident is ongoing, per the SPD.

Several of her friends shared their condolences with her family, including Tim and Brooke Paoli. Brooke created a GoFundMe page to help the Sanger family “navigate these uncertain financial times.”

“She was a bright light; a wonderful, selfless mother who has raised four incredible, respectful, responsible kids,” Brooke wrote. “She was a friend to all and her smile and kind spirit will be greatly missed. She passed too early- but she left the earth doing what she loved, with the ones she loved. ❤️.”

Brooke’s husband, Tim, told Boston 25 News that they learned of Carolyn’s death when her husband, Mike, called him while Tim was watching the local news. “I answered the phone by saying, ‘Mike, do you know who they’re talking about (from Topsfield)?’ ” Tim said. “’Yeah, Tim, they’re talking about Carrie.’ And we lost it.”

“We believe it was simply a loss of footing and a trip,” Tim told the outlet. “That particular part of the trail, my understanding is it’s a scarier part of the trail. We don’t believe she was on her phone or anything like that.”

“She was an amazing light to the world, really,” Mo Levasseur said, per Boston 25 News. Levasseur knew Sanger through work. Sanger had recently left her job as an oncology nurse to pursue alternative therapies. She became a licensed massage therapist and a Reiki practitioner, and ran her own studio, Balanced Body, in Topsfield, Mass.

“We’re quite shocked today to have lost her, but we’re also blessed that she was in our path during the past year and a half,” Levasseur said.

“She could show up in a room, light up a room and give you a hug and you felt that warmth. She was a safe place, you could talk to her about anything,” Jamie Belsito said of her “dear friend.”