SANTA ROSA, CA — Ryan George, a 19-year-old sophomore wrestler at Santa Rosa Junior College who had earned All-American honors in his first college season, died Sunday, Sept. 20, after slipping and falling nearly 400 feet while hiking with friends near Illilouette Falls in Yosemite National Park.
George’s death came just two days after he placed second at a wrestling tournament in Sacramento, capping a strong early start to his sophomore season. His passing has left his teammates, coaches, and the broader Santa Rosa community in mourning. George is survived by his older sister, Jaida, who herself lost their mother just weeks before her brother’s death. The siblings’ father died when Ryan was an infant. Park officials said the incident remains under investigation, and the National Park Service has declined to comment further on active fatality cases.
According to The Press Democrat, which first reported the story, George was hiking with a group of friends near Illilouette Falls on the afternoon of Sept. 20 when he reportedly slipped off the trail and fell into the canyon below. The fall measured close to 400 feet. National Park Service law enforcement rangers located his remains in the canyon below Glacier Point Trail. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office did not return requests for comment from multiple news outlets. Fred Duerr, head wrestling coach at Santa Rosa Junior College, announced George’s death in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 22, on the program’s social media pages. “If you knew Ryan, you know he was one of the most genuine, positive people you could ever meet,” Duerr said. “He had this way of lighting up a room, making you feel welcome, and bringing out the best in everyone around him. Always smiling, always encouraging, always full of life.” Duerr described George as “an amazing leader and wrestler” and “the kind of friend everyone wishes they had in their life.”
The circumstances that led to George’s fall remain unclear. Neither the National Park Service nor the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office had released a detailed account of the incident as of late September. Park officials maintain a standard policy of not commenting on active fatality investigations. Yosemite’s search-and-rescue teams responded to roughly 250 incidents within the park in 2025, a significant increase from 191 the prior year, according to park records. Illilouette Falls, the area where George was hiking, is a roughly 370-foot waterfall that flows year-round and sits near Glacier Point, one of Yosemite’s more heavily visited areas. The trail system in that section of the park includes steep, exposed terrain with significant drop-offs. No additional details about the precise location of the slip or the conditions on the trail that day have been made public.
George was born Aug. 28, 2007, and grew up in Santa Rosa. He attended Montgomery High School, where he first took up wrestling as a freshman after coming off a football season. At the time, he was too heavy to compete on the wrestling team, but that did not stop him. “He worked really, really hard and he got his weight down,” said Ian Hesz, who coached George at Montgomery High. “He had a different kind of energy.” George went on to win the North Bay League individual title at 217 pounds during his high school career and finished second at the North Coast Section championship his senior year. When he arrived at Santa Rosa Junior College, his development continued rapidly. Competing in the 197-pound weight class, George compiled a 23-4 record during his freshman season and finished third overall at the California Community College Athletic Association state championship tournament, earning All-American honors. His college coach, Ken Coburn, who also coached George through the Spring Hills Church wrestling club, noted that the competitive drive did not come as naturally to George as his athleticism did. “He wasn’t a natural competitor, he had to learn to compete,” Coburn said. “Even his competitors became friends with Ryan. He was a very respectful young man, very humble.”
Just two days before his death, George was in Sacramento competing at the Dave Pacheco Invitational at Sacramento City College on Friday, Sept. 18. He placed second individually in the 197-pound division, losing to Fresno City’s Luke Meyer in the championship match, and helped lead the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs to a second-place team finish overall. It was the start of what coaches believed would be an even stronger sophomore campaign. Duerr said George had not yet reached his ceiling as an athlete, describing the potential for “a state championship run, scholarship opportunities at the four-year level.” George had been weighing two paths after junior college: transferring to a four-year university wrestling program or enrolling in a fire academy to pursue a career as a professional firefighter. Duerr also saw in George the makings of a future coach. “He listened, he answered questions and applied what we were teaching him,” Duerr said. “He was so willing to learn. You don’t find that trait often in higher-level athletes.”
Those who knew George described a young man whose warmth extended far beyond the wrestling mat. Coburn recalled the effect George had on younger athletes he coached through the Spring Hills Church club. “He had an amazing smile and a laugh that got everyone’s attention,” Coburn said. “Young athletes were drawn to him and called him their favorite coach.” His sister, Jaida George, told The Press Democrat that wrestling was a natural fit for her brother from the beginning. “It was good watching him find what he loved,” she said. “Everyone knew. He was always playing and wrestling when he was a kid so when he started wrestling, everyone knew. He really just loved to play. Literally, it just matches him. He was just so loving.” Jaida George, who gave birth to her son two months before her brother’s death, had also lost the siblings’ mother, identified in a GoFundMe post by the name Taji, in July 2026 — just weeks before Ryan died. The GoFundMe page, set up to support Jaida as she grieves two family losses while caring for a newborn, had raised more than $12,000 as of late September.
Ryan George was 19 years old. His death remains under investigation by the National Park Service. No timeline has been released for when investigators expect to complete their review of the incident, and no findings have been made public.
