Woman falls 100 feet to her death at Virginia cave, officials say

A woman in Virginia fell 100 feet to her death while exploring a cave, authorities said.

In a press release, the Giles County Emergency Services said the Giles County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at around 4:15 p.m. on Friday that a woman had fallen "approximately 100 feet within a cave in the Staffordsville Community outside of Pearisburg."

The emergency services said that police deputies, the fire department, and a rescue squad responded and "quickly identified the need for additional specialized resources."

The Blacksburg Rescue Squad’s Technical Rescue Cave team and Celco Emergency Response Team along with responded and assisted in the rescue efforts.

"Upon making entry into the cave, rescue personnel located one deceased female victim. The female was extricated from the cave by rescue personnel working the incident," the press release said.

Rescue crews wrapped up at the scene of the incident at 1:00 am on Saturday.

The sheriff's office told USA TODAY that the woman was identified as Autumn Nicole Draper, 38, of Fairlawn. 

Authorities have not released any information surrounding the circumstances of her fall but an investigation is ongoing.