TONTO BASIN, Ariz. — Tiffany Ann Nelson loved to live life to the fullest.
"She loved being in the outdoors, she loved paddle boarding, being at the lake, going on adventures, just experiencing nature," shared her cousin, Jessica DiMaggio.
On Saturday, Tiffany and her lifelong friend, Joshua Cory Hanes, decided to go off-roading near Four Peaks, just east of the Valley.
Sadly, the friends would never make it home. The truck they were in veered off-road and rolled down a 250-foot embankment in the area of El Oso Road in Tonto Basin, Ariz.
"We just can only hope that maybe they were doing something as simple as looking up at the moon and going 'look at how beautiful it is' and that was their last experience," said DiMaggio. “It was a full moon that night.”
Gila County Sheriff’s deputies found Hanes’ truck at the bottom of the embankment around 10:30 a.m. after someone driving near the area saw the truck in the ravine and called 911.
When deputies arrived, there was nothing they could do. Hanes and Nelson had died.
Tonto Rim Search and Rescue helped recover their bodies and the truck.
Authorities said it’s unclear what caused the friend's truck to go off the road.
“There’s a sharp turn, so the only thing that I can imagine is that they just didn’t realize how sharp that turn was going to be," said DiMaggio.
Adventure lovers
Nelson and Hanes are described as adventure lovers who enjoyed exploring the outdoors.
They were members of the Cactus Paddle Crew, a group that goes paddleboarding together around the state.
“I just miss her… it’s hard to think that there will be no more pictures taken, and no more memories made,” DiMaggio said.
Family and friends created a digital photo album to honor their two smiling friends who were taken too soon.
“She was very aware that life can be taken away from you at any moment, she would always say, ‘you know tomorrow is not promised, so you have to do what makes you happy today,'” DeMaggio said. “She just always lived for today.”
Nelson leaves two children behind.
If you would like to help, Nelson's family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses. You can donate to Hanes' family here.
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