A student plummeted 100ft off a cliff to her death as she tried to take photos at a beauty spot.
Michelle Casey crashed into a tree after slipping on the viewpoint on Neahkahnie Mountain in Tillamook County, Oregon.
The 21-year-old was rushed to hospital but medics were unable to save her.
Michelle and her boyfriend were taking photographs of the idyllic view across the Pacific Ocean at the time, it has emerged.
Her devastated family said today Michelle “always brought people together with her bubbly personality and loving, giving heart.
"She loved being outdoors and was at the beach - her favorite place - on Sunday.
"Michelle Casey was born in joy on Christmas Eve, 1997. From that moment, she was a gift to her family."
Her family said the part-time coffee shop employee played volleyball and beach volleyball, and loved to excercise.
The Oregon State University science student was an organ donor and had saved two lives.
"Assistance was requested from Cannon Beach for a Rope Rescue and they dispatched a High Angle Rescue Team who arrived at approximately 10:51 AM," a police spokesman said.
An Oregon State University statement said: "As a university community, we mourn at the loss of a community member — and certainly one so young as Michelle."
The university is offering support and counselling to its students.
In a case with eerily similar echoes in April, another young student died after reportedly plunging from cliff while posing for a photo in Arkansas, US.
Andrea Norton, 20, was hiking with a group of classmates in Arkansas, America, when she tumbled from Hawksbill Crag.
It's understood she had been trying to reposition herself for a picture being taken by another member of the group, according to authorities.
