Union City woman drowns in ocean after slipping from cliff

MONTEREY Co, Calif. -- A Union City woman appears to have drowned after sliding down a cliff into the Pacific Ocean near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in the Big Sur area of Monterey County Friday afternoon, according to sheriff's deputies.

Medina Faraz, 20, was climbing down a cliff around 2:30 p.m. Friday when she slipped into an uncontrolled descent and fell into the ocean.

Monterey County Search and Rescue responded with California State Parks personnel to recover the body. After that a detective from the Monterey County coroner's office took over the investigation, according to deputies.

The preliminary cause of death appears to be drowning, investigators said.