American tourist, 36, dies in fall from Dolomites slope after leaving marked path

Mixed · 2Michelle Alejandra Rubio Leiva, a 36-year-old American woman from the Miami area of Florida, died on 17 October after falling down a steep slope in the Italian Dolomites while on a family holiday. 1 2 Mixed · 2Italian outlets reported that she had left a designated path to find a spot to take a photograph; Fox News cites Corriere della Sera for the location, Forcella Pordoi, an alpine pass at roughly 2,750 metres (about 9,000 feet), while Metro places the hike in the Val di Fassa, in Trentino. 2 1 Mixed · 2The reported length of the fall varies: CNN, as cited by Metro, and the Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue, as cited by Fox News, put it at about 1,000 feet (around 300 metres), while Il Dolomiti reported roughly 656 feet. 1 2

Mixed · 2Her sister saw the fall and called emergency services at around midday local time; a mountain rescuer already nearby went to the site and gave coordinates to the helicopter crew. 1 2 Mixed · 2Medical staff were lowered to the slope, and a doctor pronounced her dead at the scene. Her family members were airlifted to the nearby town of Canazei and her body was recovered by helicopter, with the operation reported to have ended at about 2:30pm. 2 1 Right · 1The Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue said in a translated statement that the hiker "slipped, plunging into the void below" at an exposed point; Fox News notes that its official logs mention only a slip, whereas Italian media cited the attempt to take a picture. 2

Mixed · 2Metro reports that her death was announced later in the week after next of kin were notified, and that the group was heading to a cable car station for Sass Pordoi, where they planned to dine at a mountaintop restaurant. Fox News, citing Il Dolomiti, says the group planned to visit the Maria refuge on Sass Pordoi. 1 2 Mixed · 2She was born in Guatemala, graduated from Brigham Young University and worked in communications, marketing and business development; Fox News, citing Corriere della Sera, says she was a manager at Rubio Contesse Advisors, and Metro says she worked remotely from Rome in 2025. 1 2 Mixed · 2Both outlets set the death against rising visitor numbers in the Dolomites. Metro, citing CNN, says more than 80 people have died there this year against a typical average of about 10 mountain deaths a year, and cites Italian Alpine Rescue on steep slopes, loose gravel and falling rocks; Fox News points to crowds at Tre Cime di Lavaredo and online criticism of photo-driven tourism. 1 2