KCRA morning producer Kathyrn Hoedt died after California State Parks officials said she fell from a rope swing Saturday afternoon at Folsom Lake, near Sacramento, Calif. She was 23.
Hoedt fell about 30 feet and landed on the rocks by the water.
In a story about the tragedy, the Sacramento NBC affiliate said, “Katie was a beloved member of the KCRA 3 news team and was one of the morning producers. Beth Hoedt, Katie’s mother, said Katie was always happy and positive, and she would constantly FaceTime her loved ones.”
“I can’t believe it’s real, you know, she was such a bright light,” Beth said. “Today, I tried to get some work done, and it was really, really hard because I knew Katie’s never going to be calling me again, and it’s going to be just something that I’m never going to get used to.”
Chief ranger of the Gold Fields District of California State Parks, Barry Smith told KCRA that rope swings are not allowed at any of the state parks.
“You don’t know who put the rope swing up. You don’t know how strong that is. You don’t know the tree, the branch. Anything can give out and it’s extremely dangerous,” Smith said.
Hoedt grew up in the Sacramento area, got her undergraduate degree at San Jose State and her master’s degree from NYU at the age of 21. Katie’s father, Andy Hoedt, said Katie had a bright future ahead of her and is heartbroken that her full potential as a journalist will never be realized.
“She’s just made such a massive impact and only at 23. I just wish she could have been here for another 60, 70 years. I can’t image what she could have done,” said Andy Hoedt. “It’s just devastating to me.”