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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Portland 3-year-old survives fall from cliff that kills his mother

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PORTLAND — A 3-year-old boy survived a 50-foot fall at a popular Oregon hiking trail that killed his 37-year-old mother.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Alexander says deputies responded late Sunday afternoon after learning that two hikers had fallen off a cliff at Horsetail Falls along the Columbia River Gorge.

The woman and the boy fell about 50 feet and then tumbled another 20-to-30 feet down a slope.

The woman was brought up to the trailhead, but she died at the scene. The medical examiner’s office identified her as Stephanie Cohen of Portland.

An ambulance took her son to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Cohen’s mother, Lisa Schroeder, told The Oregonian/OregonLive.com that the boy named Oliver is expected to survive.

Schroeder said Oliver slipped during a family hiking trip. Cohen tried to pull him to safety, and they both went down the embankment.

“Her motherly instincts prevailed,” said Schroeder, who owns Mother’s Bistro & Bar in downtown Portland. “She gave her life to save his.”

Cohen is survived by her longtime boyfriend and four children between the ages of 3 and 13.

“She was a shining star,” Schroeder said. “Even though she leaves four children motherless, we all plan to step up as a village and help raise those kids.”

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