Mom hiking with 3 kids dies in 75-foot plunge into chasm, Massachusetts cops say

A 49-year-old mother hiking with three of her children died after falling up to 75 feet into a chasm, Massachusetts police reported.

Officers received a 911 call reporting the accident at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation at 1:47 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, the Sutton Police Department said in a news release.

The Topsfield woman was hiking with three of her four children and other family members when she plunged into the chasm, police said.

Other hikers, including medical professionals, tried to assist the woman, but she died of her injuries, police said.

An investigation into her death continues, but it appears to be accidental, police said.

“There are trails above the chasm you can go along, dangerous overhangs if you’re going to the edge to look down,” hiker Andy Spears told WCVB. “It’s really sad that it had to happen at a place like this.”

Sutton is about a 50-mile drive southwest from Boston.

This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Mom hiking with 3 kids dies in 75-foot plunge into chasm, Massachusetts cops say."