Sheralynn Neff took part in at least five skydives over the weekend, so her last on Sunday should have been routine, reports the Hutchinson News. Instead, the 26-year-old's parachute landed without her. Crews in Cushing, Okla., searched for 16 hours before discovering the body of the Kansas woman—whom officials describe as an experienced skydiver who was participating in a program with the Oklahoma Skydiving Center—in a grassy area about a half-mile from the drop site, report KFOR and KJRH. "There was no harness with her at all. So she came completely out of whatever and dropped to the ground," a sheriff says.
Officials say Neff was the last of five people to jump out of the plane, at about 10,000 feet, around 3:45pm. They believe her parachute opened at about 4,000 feet. News 9 reports it was found in a tree about five miles north of where her body was later discovered and is being examined to find out what went wrong. The FAA is also investigating. Meanwhile, a faculty member at Kansas' Hesston College, where Neff graduated with a degree in Bible and ministry in 2011, describes her as "one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet. … I feel such profound sadness for her family and the people who knew her." (This skydiver had 1,800 jumps under his belt when he died.)