2 People Fall to Their Deaths at National Park

Two people found dead at Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah apparently climbed over a safety railing at the park's Inspiration Point before falling to their deaths, authorities say. Officials identified the man and woman as Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58, the New York Times reports. The Garfield County Sheriff's Office says they died late Monday or early Tuesday, reports ABC4. Their bodies were spotted by tourists on Tuesday. Their cat, an elderly female tabby called Mirage, apparently fell with them but survived the 380-foot drop from the lookout point, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary said Mirage, estimated to be 12 years old, was found in a soft-sided animal carrier. The sanctuary said the cat is a "matted and a bit sore" but "seemed to have weathered the fall fairly well," the Tribune reports. Officials say Nannen and Crane had been living in a U-Haul truck. Their last known address was in Florida, but they "traveled to Utah after spending a significant amount of time in Arizona," the sheriff's office said Wednesday.

"Detectives are considering all possibilities, but preliminary investigations have not been able to definitively determine the cause of the fall," the sheriff's office said. The Times notes that there was snow at the top of the cliff this week, which could have caused slippery conditions. (More Utah stories.)