"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Debra Schwartz, who devoted her career to helping others find the joy of newfound knowledge and creative ability," Mark Searle, ASU executive vice president and provost, said in a statement from the university in May. The report shows that Kamenir received a text from Schwartz with a picture of her tent on the campsite on the morning she went missing. She told investigators that although Schwartz did not have a good sense of direction, she would push on, wanting to finish hiking the trail. She disclosed that the two of them had camped at Pine Flat on previous trips, hiking in the area several times. Investigators spoke to a close friend of Schwartz, Karen Kamenir, during the search. She was last seen May 4 walking away from the site, the report shows. Last contactsĭuring her stay, Schwartz was often seen sitting at a table at the site and appeared to be working on a paper. He advised her that the weather would improve and that he was not permitted to give her a refund, the report shows. She had forgotten blankets at home, he said. The area had been briefly searched in previous days, but deep inclines, rough terrain and thick underbrush made conditions unsafe for traditional ground searches early on.Īccording to the report, a camp groundskeeper told investigators that Schwartz had contacted him on her first day at the campground asking for a refund because the conditions were too cold to be camping. The scene indicated that Schwartz had fallen into the steep ravine, according to the police report. The examiner ruled she died as a result of multiple blunt injuries and that because she was found outside in cold temperatures, an element of hypothermia could not be ruled out. Officials said foul play was not suspected in Schwartz's death as the autopsy concluded the death was accidental. She also had suffered hemorrhaging on both sides of her head and injures to her chest and abdomen. The Arizona Republic obtained results of Schwartz's autopsy, which was completed June 30 and found that Schwartz suffered fractures to her ribs, pelvis and her right arm with a laceration to her right brachial artery. Rescue efforts, carried out by more than 40 officials from Coconino and Yavapai sheriff's departments, included a ground search and several aerial searches. A three-member technical team rappelled down the canyon where they located Schwartz's body just after 11 a.m. Schwartz, an ASU English instructor, was scheduled to stay at Pine Flat Campgrounds from May 3 to May 5, but failed to check out of her camping space, according to a police report. Authorities were tipped off to her disappearance May 6 by campground staff. The 59-year-old woman was found at the bottom of a cliff in an unnamed slot canyon below the rim of Oak Creek Canyon, near Sedona, after a three-day search by the sheriff's department. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office and Office of the Medical Examiner have concluded that Debra Schwartz, an Arizona State University instructor found dead in Oak Creek Canyon on May 8, died from multiple blunt-force injuries sustained in a fall and that hypothermia may have contributed to her death. Photo of program from Debra Schwartz's memorial event by Rabbi Tiechtel.Watch Video: ASU professor found dead in Oak Creek Canyon We see it in the changes she created around her. How many more could be added? I do know that there is a cumulative effect of those verbs. And this is all from what I knew of her as my office mate. Just look at that list of verbs: taught, led, trained, explored, joined, considered, tried, shared, journeyed, investigated, wrote. She investigated stories as an environmental journalist. She joined a Quaker group and considered her spirituality. She explored issues of racism and led focused workshops with her students discussing their experiences. She trained to teach business writing classes. She led workshops for ASU Project Humanities. She taught creative writing workshops for the Justa Center, focusing on working with homeless veterans. That ability to make a decision and act on it is at the core of much of what she did while teaching at ASU, and the impact she had on the larger communities around us. I think most of us would have worried about getting permission and if we had the right to change the way the office looked. All of these changes were done in one weekend. She got rid of bookcases in favor of shorter ones she removed boxes and reorganized books she moved desks, installed a refrigerator and microwave, and added plants. The next time I saw her, she had rearranged our office. I first met Debbie Schwartz when we were both moved up from the basement to an office on the 5th floor of the LL building.
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