US News
Published
April 2, 2024, 8:23 p.m. ET
A National Guardsman on a hike in Kentucky plummeted to his demise over the state’s steepest waterfall Friday whereas attempting to catch his runaway canine, police mentioned.
An “out of town family” discovered Isaac Lee Turpin’s physique after noticing a tactical backpack protruding of the water on the base of Yahoo Falls round 11:30 a.m., McCreary County Sheriff David Sampson said Sunday.
Officials imagine the 23-year-old US Army National Guard sergeant possible slipped whereas chasing his pup, Cujo, who had damaged free throughout their walk across the Big South Fork National River park.
Cujo was discovered after the accident and returned to Turpin’s fiancée, household mentioned.
Billed because the steepest waterfall in Kentucky, Yahoo Falls contains a 113-foot drop down a big rock home to a shallow pool.
Tragically, Turpin was an avid outdoorsman who regularly hiked and lived simply 30 miles from the falls.
Pictures shared on social media by family members present Turpin exploring quite a few state and nationwide parks together with his puppy by his aspect.
“He loved life and touched everyone who knew him. He enjoyed the outdoors, riding his motorcycle, camping, playing his guitar, and spending time with his family and friends,” his obituary states.
Turpin was a embellished National Guard servicemember, receiving the National Defense Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Armed Forces Service Medal.
He was planning a marriage with associate Cherish Menken, who mourned her fiancé on Facebook as “my light I had always prayed for.”
“If I could of hand picked someone perfect for me it was you. I’m so lucky with the time I got with you. you balanced me like no other human I’ve ever met,” Menken wrote on Facebook.
“My precious man, no words could ever describe the hole in my heart. I’m so unbelievably devastated.”
Turpin’s tragic fall and demise stays below investigation as officers await post-mortem outcomes.
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