SUTTON — A woman hiking with her family at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation died Tuesday afternoon after falling from a rock formation, according to Sutton police
The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office identified the woman as Carolyn Sanger, 49, of Topsfield, a mother of four. Sanger had been hiking with three of her children and other family members at the time of the accident, police said. First responders were called to the reservation, located near Route 146, around 2 p.m. on April 23. A request for a medical helicopter was later canceled, and state police confirmed Sanger was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the fall appears to have been an accident, though an investigation led by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office remains ongoing.
Sanger, known as Carrie, was a nurse who recently opened a wellness center in Topsfield, called Balanced Body, according to a GoFundMe page created after her death. “For those that knew Carrie, know that she was a bright light; a wonderful, selfless mother who has raised four incredible, respectful, responsible kids,” the post on her GoFundMe page reads. “She was a friend to all and her smile and kind spirit will be greatly missed. She passed too early – but she left the earth doing what she loved, with the ones she loved.”
Witnesses at the scene, including some with medical training, initially attempted to assist after Sanger fell an estimated 50 to 75 feet, police said. Public access to the park was closed temporarily while emergency crews responded, but the reservation reopened later that evening, according to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Purgatory Chasm, shaped by glacial meltwaters around 15,000 years ago, is a popular hiking destination known for its towering rock formations, including one called Lover’s Leap. Rescue crews are occasionally dispatched there for injuries such as sprained ankles, and fatalities, though rare, have occurred, including the death of an Uxbridge man in 2012.
The Sutton Police Department extended their condolences to the family, stating, “The Sutton Police Department would like to extend our condolences to the family during this very difficult time.”
The Telegram & Gazette reported that by the next day, visitors had returned to the trails and the chasm, where a ranger was seen patrolling the area.
