Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Three women are recovering after a dangerous attempt to retrieve the remains of a dog from the Genesee River Gorge near Maplewood Park ended with a high-angle rope rescue Wednesday afternoon.
Tammy Brown said she, her niece Nadia and another woman were trying to reach the remains of a dog found inside a garbage bag along the Genesee River shoreline when they encountered unstable terrain.
“We was walking along the path trying to find solid ground,” Brown said. “My niece Nadia, I noticed that I heard a scream. I turned around and she was already gone. She went down the mountain.”
13WHAM reported earlier this week that Lollypop Farm was investigating the dog's death as a possible animal cruelty case. The organization said the terrain was too dangerous to safely retrieve the remains.
Brown said she and the other women soon discovered just how dangerous the area was.
“The ground kept giving way,” she said. “So now I just have one large tree bark to hold onto and a very thick vine.”
After about 20 minutes, Brown said the women realized they needed help and called 911.
Rochester police said officers responded around 4:15 p.m. and found a 58-year-old Rochester woman clinging to the base of a leaning tree at the top of a steep cliff. A 24-year-old Rochester woman had slid partially down the cliff, while a third woman, a 32-year-old Spencerport resident, was also at the scene.
Officers reached the 58-year-old woman and held onto her until Rochester firefighters could begin a rope rescue.
“Our rope team was able to set up a high-angle rope system, rappel down, secure the final victims, bring them back up,” Rochester Fire Department Lt. Howard Villegas said. “And the other individual that fell the further distance was lowered down to our Marine One unit.”
The 24-year-old woman was brought to safety by an RFD boat. She and the 58-year-old woman were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for precautionary evaluations. All three women are expected to be OK.
READ MORE: 13wham.com/news/local/3-women-rescued-from-steep-cliff-along-genesee-river-gorge-maplewood-park
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Three women are recovering after a dangerous attempt to retrieve the remains of a dog from the Genesee River Gorge near Maplewood Park ended with a high-angle rope rescue Wednesday afternoon.
Tammy Brown said she, her niece Nadia and another woman were trying to reach the remains of a dog found inside a garbage bag along the Genesee River shoreline when they encountered unstable terrain.
“We was walking along the path trying to find solid ground,” Brown said. “My niece Nadia, I noticed that I heard a scream. I turned around and she was already gone. She went down the mountain.”
13WHAM reported earlier this week that Lollypop Farm was investigating the dog's death as a possible animal cruelty case. The organization said the terrain was too dangerous to safely retrieve the remains.
Brown said she and the other women soon discovered just how dangerous the area was.
“The ground kept giving way,” she said. “So now I just have one large tree bark to hold onto and a very thick vine.”
After about 20 minutes, Brown said the women realized they needed help and called 911.
Rochester police said officers responded around 4:15 p.m. and found a 58-year-old Rochester woman clinging to the base of a leaning tree at the top of a steep cliff. A 24-year-old Rochester woman had slid partially down the cliff, while a third woman, a 32-year-old Spencerport resident, was also at the scene.
Officers reached the 58-year-old woman and held onto her until Rochester firefighters could begin a rope rescue.
“Our rope team was able to set up a high-angle rope system, rappel down, secure the final victims, bring them back up,” Rochester Fire Department Lt. Howard Villegas said. “And the other individual that fell the further distance was lowered down to our Marine One unit.”
The 24-year-old woman was brought to safety by an RFD boat. She and the 58-year-old woman were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for precautionary evaluations. All three women are expected to be OK.
READ MORE: 13wham.com/news/local/3-women-rescued-from-steep-cliff-along-genesee-river-gorge-maplewood-park
_______________
Stay up to date with our social media:
13 WHAM on Facebook: facebook.com/13WHAM
13 WHAM on Twitter: twitter.com/13WHAM
13WHAM on Instagram: instagram.com/13whamtv/?hl=en
13WHAM on TikTok: tiktok.com/@13wham?lang=en
13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuTJB6tta5ar3Fu5CumAvlvVunEP6bc9A
For more information, visit 13wham.com
Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: news@13wham.com
Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700
WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.
#13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork
