The body of a 22-year-old woman was found about a month after a landslide caught her by surprise, family members said.
Kyra Sunshine Scarlet, 22, was presumed dead after she was caught in a landslide at Fort Funston while walking her dog with a friend in late February.
Witnesses saw Scarlet and another woman climbing up an 80-foot cliff from a beach when the cliff started caving on top of them reported KTVU. First responders rescued the woman but Scarlet was not found.
Family members said that the body of Scarlet was finally found on March 25.
“It is with sorrow and joy that we are able to announce that our beloved ‘mermaid’ Kyra Sunshine has been recovered,” mother Susan Scarlet wrote on a GoFundMe page.
San Francisco firefighters were called out to Fort Funston on Monday and found the body, Scarlet said, expressing her gratitude to first responders.
“Just as we were starting to come to grips our loss of our beloved daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and friend we got this bittersweet news,” she said. “Thanks to all of our family and friends who have supported us through their love and prayers. We have absolutely relied upon the arm of our loving Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the sweet comfort from the Holy Spirit that has brought peace to our broken hearts.”
Scarlet referred to what happened as a “freak landslide.”
After the landslide, officials said it was likely an isolated incident and said Fort Funston remained open except for the search area.
“From third-hand reports, this appears to be an unfortunate and isolated natural incident. Ocean waves, soft sand, and soil, and recent storms events contribute to erosion of beaches and coastal bluffs,” said Charlie Strickfaden, communications director for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in a statement.
In an obituary, family members said that Kyra Scarlet “left this world doing what she loved—being outside, near the ocean at one of her favorite dog parks.”
“While her body has yet to be recovered, we know that Kyra Sunshine’s spirit is with her grandfathers who passed on before. We will miss her smiles, her wit, her beauty, and her full body hugs,” the family added in the March 6 obituary.
Scarlet hailed from Utah and the obituary was published in the Deseret News.
David Scarlet, the father of the victim, told CBS that his daughter’s body was found on the beach approximately one-quarter mile south of Sloat Boulevard.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area said that the body likely was taken out to sea by a high tide. Fort Funston is part of the area and is located about 10 miles south of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Recovery teams searched for days following the Feb. 22 landslide, including bringing equipment to the area, but tidal action, sandy bluff instability, and storm conditions hampered the search, officials said. Keeping workers safe was a concern and eventually the search was called off when Scarlet’s body wasn’t found.
