BASE jumpers presumed dead after jumping from bridge

Mary Katherine “Katie” Connell, 30, died January 20, 2016 from a tragic accident while BASE jumping off the Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur, California.

“As the water retreats back into the ocean, Connell and the parachute are not seen retreating back to shore”, Sheriff Steve Bernal said.

A video captured on a camera strapped to one of their helmets showed Connell land in the surf and get swept away by ocean waves, according to Thornburg.

The video shows Mary Katherine Connell accompanied by a man at the Highway 1 bridge on what appeared to be last Wednesday morning, said Monterey County Sheriff Cmdr.

But a search didn’t start until Saturday, when the man’s parachute was discovered and his helmet camera revealed they were likely lost at sea. They found the man’s parachute, helmet and GoPro camera. His name has not been released because his family has not yet been notified, authorities said.

Two BASE jumpers are presumed dead after leaping off an iconic California bridge, authorities said on Tuesday.

Deputies learned the pair was missing on Saturday while they investigated an abandoned rental vehicle connected with the jumpers, Thornburg said.

Little is known about the instructor, other than that he is from Finland.

The bodies of the jumpers have not been recovered after extensive helicopter and diving searches.

Connell, a Ventura woman in her mid to late 20s, has experienced more than 300 jumps, according to Thornburg.

Thornburg said he could not recall another drowning or fall at the bridge involving a BASE jumper.

Jackie Faust, general manager of Skydive Monterey Bay in Marina, said while skydiving and BASE jumping are similar, there isn’t much overlap in the communities.

“She normally would not jump with any high winds”, Julie Connell said.

Her sister-in-law said Connell had researched the Bixby Bridge jump for about a year.

Built in 1932, the bridge stands 290 feet above Bixby Creek, a rushing river that spills into the Pacific Ocean, creating a turbulent current.

During Monday’s press conference, the sheriff told not foreseeing any future law that would ban jumping off the bridge.