14-story fall kills woman in Salt Lake City

A woman died Friday after she fell from the balcony of her 14th-floor apartment in Salt Lake City.

At about 3 p.m. the manager of the Salt Lake Senior Citizen High Rise near 1900 South and 200 East reported hearing a "thud" outside the building's office, said Salt Lake Police Lt. Scott White. The manager contacted police, who responded and found a 67-year-old woman dead on the grass on the building's west side, White said.

Investigators identified the woman as the resident of a 14th-floor apartment in the building. White said officers found a to-do list in the woman's apartment that included sweeping off the balcony and cleaning the windows. A broom was found next to the woman's body.

"Everything points to an accidental fall," White said.

He said the balcony's railing, which is fairly tall, is intact and officers are unsure whether the woman had stood on the railing or a stool to clean her windows.

Neighbor Ben Humphrey said he learned of the incident when he awoke from a nap and went out on his balcony to check the weather before walking his dog. He said the residents in the apartment complex are like family, and the fall victim regularly baked for others.

"There wasn't anything bad about her," Humphrey said. "She was a sweetheart."

Police are not releasing the victim's name, pending the notification of family.

— Geoff Liesik