Union City Woman Drowns in Ocean After Slipping From Big Sur Cliff

A Union City woman plunged to her death Friday after slipping off a Big Sur cliff.

The victim, identified by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office as Medina Faraz, 20, was hiking in the vicinity of McWay Falls near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

Authorities said she climbed down and around a sea-facing cliff without the appropriate equipment or clothing when she slipped. Faraz fell into the ocean, they added.

Monterey County Search and Rescue and California State Parks recovered the body, authorities said, adding that preliminary investigations reveal that Faraz drowned.

Omar Mehdavi, a friend of the Faraz family, has created a GoFundMe account to help raise money for the funeral and other expenses. As of Sunday morning, 333 people had in a single day contributed $21,644 of the $30,000 goal.

According to Mehdavi, Faraz was a straight-A student who dreamed of becoming a nurse. 

"Medina we will always love and remember you for the rest of our lives," he wrote. "Heaven has gained a very special angel today."

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