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Searchers find Herriman teen's body in Big Cottonwood Canyon

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Patricia Tate | 10:26 a.m. June 30, 2008

My deepest sympathy goes out to her family.

Anonymous | 10:48 a.m. June 30, 2008

I too send my sympathy to her family.

Tad | 11:12 a.m. June 30, 2008

I went to High School with her. She was always kind, funny and the life of the party. She will be missed.

Comments continue below

Nice group | 11:22 a.m. June 30, 2008

Nice group to hike with. Allow a member of your group to get separated...

Anonymous | 12:01 p.m. June 30, 2008

You weren't there! These were all her friends. They all loved her very much. There were a lot of them there, they thought she was with another part of the group and when they found she wasn't they called for help and searched as well. Who do you think you are to make such an insensitive judgement?

Tony | 12:05 p.m. June 30, 2008

Nice going Deseret News. Take multiple pictures of the boyfriend and family immediately after learning of the girl's death. I realize it's your job to inform, but show some tact and class, and give grieving people some privacy.

What's next, showing pictures of her body as searchers found her?

Renae | 12:08 p.m. June 30, 2008

Christina was a beautiful girl both inside and out. We will all miss her. This is a tragic loss to all.

Re: Tony | 12:24 p.m. June 30, 2008

Is the display of true emotion too much for you handle?

I suppose you would rather see a benign picture of the mountain trail or the expressionless face of some reporter who doesn't know anything about Christina.

Your weak strawman is pathetic.

Of course, no one wants to see pictures of the body, but there's nothing wrong with seeing pictures of her grieving friends.

horrible tragedy | 12:29 p.m. June 30, 2008

this is a horrible tragedy and my prayers go out to the family of Christina.Without knowing the details it is impossible to know who was to blame. Generally speaking however, it is NEVER a wise thing to hike on an unfamiliar trail with low visibility and you NEVER EVER lose track of a hiker in your group. The whole purpose of the buddy system to help each other across dicey parts of the trail.There are times however when there is nothing that could be done to save a person - somethings accidents just happen with no one at fault. Again, it is impossible to say which side of the fence this tragedy falls on without knowing the details.

Anonymous | 12:32 p.m. June 30, 2008

If I was coming apart, I wouldnt want to have my picture taken.. Would you?

Re: Tony Re. Anonymous | 12:43 p.m. June 30, 2008

It's called the news, grow up and get over it. Turn on your TV everyday and you'll see far worse. Where have been these past years living in a cave!.

hard to watch | 12:42 p.m. June 30, 2008

it is a hard thing to see the shock and grief that overcome friends and family after an accident. I'm not sure it was necessary to show multiple photo's of her boy friend just to dramatize the scene. I think one photo would have been plenty. The poor kid is obviously beside himself with grief. The D-News needs to back off and show some empathy and respect.

Anonymous | 1:05 p.m. June 30, 2008

I was precisely going to ask people here to avoid posting negative comments: why the pics, who to blame, what to do next time, what to avoid, etc. This was a tragic accident. Please, show some compasion and let's all pray for her family and all close to her so they can find the comfort and peace they need. From the pictures you can tell she was very loved. I am glad for her. Not everybody can say that.

Anonymous | 1:14 p.m. June 30, 2008

Agree with 1:05pm. If you want to criticize, go to the articles about crime and politics. Those are the ones who deserve that kind of comments.

Anonymous | 1:48 p.m. June 30, 2008

Sorry both to 1:105 and 1:14; this is the news. And this is a public bulletin board, precisely for the public's reaction.

You have a different vision of what these boards should look like than I.

This is a completely appropriate place, in my opinion, for a variety of reactions from the public, from criticism, to questioning, to notes of compassion.

If you only want the latter, you are in the wrong place.

Ernest T. Bass | 2:34 p.m. June 30, 2008

I was biking in BCC this morning and saw the search & rescue vehicles.
When I came back down I noticed the medical examiner's van and knew it was a tragedy.
I hope the family is ok.

Tony | 2:37 p.m. June 30, 2008

To 12:24:

Nope, I can handle real emotion. I just think snapping pics of someone losing it wasn't needed. Did you really need those pics to get the full effect of the tragedy, or are you one of those who needs the big pop up pictures to get the point across?

To the others who started blasting me saying I should think of the family and friends: Gee, I thought that was my whole point.

I'm with Tony | 3:18 p.m. June 30, 2008

My father was killed by a train and because he was badly burned, my family chose not to view his charred body. Them some thoughtless reporter thought it was their job to show the "real" accident and put a picture of my dad in the newspaper after the accident with his workboots sticking out from under a blanket. I didn't appreciate it then and I think tabloid journalism has no place in a respected newspaper...ever. The day we need to see raw emotion to understand someone's grieving is a sad day indeed.

I agree with Tony | 3:22 p.m. June 30, 2008

Being the family member of a murder victim, I am grateful that my grief-stricken face was not splashed all over the news and media when I learned of the death of my father and in the days following. It was a horrific time and just having his death reported on the news was awful enough, I didn't need my grief out there too. So, I'm with Tony, give the family & friends some privacy.

BH | 3:23 p.m. June 30, 2008

Wow, these pictures sure put a human side to this tradgedy. It is easy to feel for those who obviously loved this young lady. Always hard to hear of the death of someone at such a prime time of life.

Tragedy | 3:43 p.m. June 30, 2008

My sympathies to all those who are affected by this tragic loss.

tragic but unecessary | 4:14 p.m. June 30, 2008

"Between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., the four men went to an area off the main trail to climb an area of steep rocks, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Brent Atkinson. Detectives believe unbeknownst to the men, Traylor followed the group to a steep area where it is believed she wanted to take pictures"

How sad, totally unnecessary and preventable this tragedy was. First of all, hiking "OFF TRAIL" on a precarious ledge with no rope or climbing gear is asking for trouble. Also, 7pm is way too late to be climbing - period. Finally, if Taylor told no one where she was going then there was really nothing anyone else could have done to help her which is yet another tragic mistake made that evening.
Mountains are VERY UNFORGIVING and don't care if you are a wonderful person or not. I am sure Christina was a wonderful young women and I can't imagine the grief her family must be experiencing right now.

CatBus | 4:23 p.m. June 30, 2008

So sorry to hear of this young woman's death in Big Cottonwood canyon. I hike the trails and ridges in the canyons almost weekly, and I am always thinking about my mortality. May the young woman's family and friends be comforted in this trying time. Life is precious.

Kevin | 4:27 p.m. June 30, 2008

Why is the DMN publishing pictures of these people grieving? Give them some privacy. So tactless.

Not just the DN | 4:50 p.m. June 30, 2008

My husband, a journalist of nearly 40 years experience, has recently commented that he thinks all these pictures of people grieving really is an invasion of their privacy and tends to actually de-sensitize us to feelings of sympathy for others. It becomes too common or something. Maybe I am trying to say we feel like it trivializes peoples' feelings, almost for our entertainment. Our local paper recently showed a picture of a military hero's widow crying when an honor named after her husband was presented. Why a picture of this elderly lady crying was printed, I don't know--I think she will be embarrassed to see herself.
So I'm with those of you who don't think publishing these pictures is necessary for us to understand the tragedy.
And my sympathy goes out to all the family and friends of this young woman.

Dear Tony | 5:35 p.m. June 30, 2008

It is time for you to grow up.

J Scott | 5:55 p.m. June 30, 2008

If you want to read about insensitivity, google on over to the Tribune article and its liberated readers. I can't believe how big a difference between to two papers bloggers. Thanks DMN readers for showing some compassion, something that is sorely lacking in the Tribheads today.

andrew | 6:06 p.m. June 30, 2008

what happened?

RP | 6:32 p.m. June 30, 2008

Christina was a wonderful girl. She and the group she was with were up at Moss Ledge for a Birthday gathering. They had been up there many, many times and knew the area well. She was not all that far away from the main group when they last saw her and they figured she would be right back. She did follow the boys who were climbing up the side of the mountain to the falls, something they had done many times before, to take pictures of them up on the mountain. When they got back to the rest of the group and discovered that she wasn't there, they went looking. The group tried to tell the sherrif where they had last seen her, but he wasn't listening and had his own ideas. She was found right below where they had last seen her.
We all love Christina and our love and prayers go out to her family and to all her friends, especially the group she was with. She was more family than friend.

Tony, yes, Tony | 6:49 p.m. June 30, 2008

I'm with you Tony! You are grown up, discard the message of those who are not.

Sactown | 6:59 p.m. June 30, 2008

Sad story; accidents happen and blaming others is a waste of time. No one is to blame.

As for the picture, they are perfectly appropriate and well done. Kudos to the D-News for their quality and the courageous choice to include them.

You guys really need to get out of Utah and get a taste of the real world...

Provincial | 7:13 p.m. June 30, 2008

If you think the pictures are bad, you haven't seen many pictures, watched the evening news or read many newspapers. It's called "news" and most people want to watch it. If you don't like it, turn the page.

chelsea | 7:29 p.m. June 30, 2008

Live every second as if it were your last,
don't be sad til your life is neerly past,
live perfect as you can,
you're part of God's great plan,
live every second as if it were your last.

In memory of one of my best friends, Christina
- Chelsea

jr | 9:11 p.m. June 30, 2008

May family and friends find comfort in one another, death is always in our destiny but some get the call before we think they should. Accidents happen and no one can judge the circumstances - lets put our emotions into well wishes for all who have lost a good friend this day

devistated mom | 9:45 p.m. June 30, 2008

Thank you Deseret News for not implying blame. This was a horrible accident.

No one intentionally left her.

She was so loved that any one of us would give our own lives to save hers.

Hindsight is 20/20 but it does not bring back our sweetheart.

Learn from our mistakes, but please try to have some compassion at this time.

exploitation | 10:02 p.m. June 30, 2008

There is absolutely no need to run pictures of the emotional devastation these people felt. they are being exploited at their most vulnerable just to sensationalize the story. The photographer ought to be ashamed. One photo was bad enough, but several with essentially the same caption? Disgusting

Dave | 10:40 p.m. June 30, 2008

Sorry, got to go with the people who think the pics here are unneeded.

And no, it's not a matter of "I can't handle it." I can handle it just fine.

It's just plain tacky and insensitive. It's something I'd expect of the National Enquirer.

And yes, I know I can see far worse from carious other sources of news. I fail to understand how that makes this OK. "Other people do it too" has never been much of an excuse in my book.

Each organization needs to make their ethical choices about themselves without worrying about the choices their rivals make. That's the very example of integrity.

The Deseret News missed that point today - failed badly indeed.

Fray Jumper | 11:33 p.m. June 30, 2008

Got to weigh in on the privacy issue.

If I was the DN, I'd ask permission to publish a private picture, and then post that picture was published with permission.

That should be a bare minimum for private moment photos.

Let's not bog down on this issue without remembering this fine young lady whose life was lost much too soon.

BK | 11:50 p.m. June 30, 2008

My Cousin Eric is Christina's boyfriend and for the media to take pictures in his time of mourning is unneeded. Christina was the love of Eric's life. They were making plans together towards a future. He was going to quit his job and move back to Colorado with her. He could not stand to live one more minute without her so he was choosing to change his life so he could be with her. This truly is a tragic accident. Please pray for her family and his in this tragic time of their lives.

Joseph | 11:57 p.m. June 30, 2008

How sad. I feel very sorry for the friends and loved ones of the fallen hiker.

Personally, I feel the photos help me feel sorry for them. They complement the story.

As much as I feel those photographed need privacy, I also feel their message of grief and sorrow is very powerful and needs to be shared with us, the reader.

Because of these photographs I can better understand the love they have for the hiker. And it makes me reflect more on my life and how tragedy can happen any time.

Vincent | 2:10 a.m. July 1, 2008

I am Christina's younger brother and I just have to say I'm going to miss her. She was always the fearless one of the 2 of us, and she always did things how she was going to do them. Unfortunately she risked too much this time and no one is to blame although I disagree with her choice to hike in dangerous areas, but no matter what I say here it doesn't matter now that she is gone, I can't do much but wish everyone who was affected the best especially those closest to her (Eric I truely am sorry you have to suffer, she thought you were a great guy and so do I, so if you ever read this I am always here for you to talk to about anything and you will always be a friend of mine) I think the family has taken this hard (being part of it) but her friends and especially bf have taken it harder being the closest to her. May she rest in peace my only full blooded sibling and my father's only daughter will be missed.

Anonymous | 5:56 a.m. July 1, 2008

What a sad tragedy. May her friends and family have comfort and peace at this terrible loss. She sounds like a wonderful girl. I send you all my sincere sympathies.

Kendra P | 10:23 a.m. July 1, 2008

Christina was and is an amazing person. My cousin was her boyfriend and loved her very much. She was extremely kind and an inspiration to all that she came into contact with. Everyone needs to look at this as if this was their loved one or family member hiking the same trail that they had a million times before...Accidents even happen to the most skilled people...It is a tragedy and she will be very missed!!

Amanda | 10:38 a.m. July 1, 2008

To Christina, I loved you like a sister and knew that someday we would be sister-in-laws, you were my brother's world, with just your smiles & laughs you made my brother the happiest man on the earth, when ever he got off the phone with you he would say " God I love that girl". You had such a great sense of humor that we all loved. Life is going to be rough for him now, but some how I feel that you both were meant for each other that you will be watching over him for eternity.

To my Wonderful Little brother Eric, I love you so much and know that this is so difficult for you, to watch the pain you went through yesterday made me hurt so much and just want to cry and hold you, I would & will do anything for you Eric to help you get through this tough time & I am so glad that christina had you as her best friend, lover & soul mate before she passed.

Eric & christina were the cutest couple and will always be for eternity.

Christina & Eric 2008
Love you both so much.

Sarah | 2:35 p.m. July 1, 2008

She was my neighbor. She was a really nice, happy girl. I was always impressed by her. She was definitely going places. What a tragedy!

Monica | 12:48 a.m. July 2, 2008

Christina was my friend at CSU, she was in my chem class and a very good friend of my roomate. She was such a smart fun girl, i cant believe something like this happened to her. Ill miss her so much, she had such potential. But because of her I will appreciate life more.

Amanda Fan | 2:13 a.m. July 2, 2008

Girl... you just made me cry. The whole situation makes you cry. But you are sweet...

Amazing Person | 9:54 a.m. July 2, 2008

I had a couple classes in high school with Christina and from the second I met her I knew she was an amazing person. She was always so nice and her smile was highly contagious. Her hugs were the best-- you could tell she really meant them. It's hard for me to think that I'll never be able to hug or even see her again. Despite being beautiful (I constantly told her I thought she looked like Demi Moore), she had great ambition and worked very hard for what she wanted, and was a great friend. I remember laughing with her about weird acronyms we made up to remember events for our AP history test.
On her myspace page, it says her worst fear was to die a long and painful death. My wish is that it wasn't so for her. An even bigger wish was that this didn't even happen... She deserves so much more.
My condolences go out to her family and friends who have been affected by this unfortunate tragedy. I hope they are ok.

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6 photos

Geoffrey McAllister, Deseret News

Eric Perkins breaks down after learning the missing hiker (his girlfriend) has been found dead about 350 feet from the Moss Ledge trail head in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Monday.

Gallery (6 photos)