Volunteer Fire Department Rescuer Discovers Rock Climber Who Fell to Her Death Was His Ex-Wife

A fire department rescuer arrived at the scene of a dead rock climber only to discover that the fallen cliff scaler was his ex-wife and the mother of his daughter.

Scott Hicks, a volunteer with the Santa Fe County Fire Department's technical rescue team, was sent to New Mexico's majestic Diablo Canyon after receiving reports that a female climber had plummeted 175 feet to her death, according to local media stories.

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Susan Sarossy, 59, died at the scene Monday despite efforts to save her by fellow climbers.

Hicks posted on Facebook that his former wife "and mother to our daughter, Marika," passed away following "a tragic climbing accident."

Sarossy was with fellow climbers doing what she truly loved to do," Hicks wrote. "I'm told she'd had a great day ... Rest in Peace Susan."

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The social worker had been married to Hicks for 19 years. They divorced in 1999, the paper reported.

"She always told me, 'I don't know what I'm doing rock climbing because I'm afraid of heights, but I think this is a way for me to face that fear,'" he told the newspaper.

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