Woman dies in fall from Mendocino cliff

<p>A woman chasing after her dog fell 60 feet down a Mendocino cliff to her death Sunday evening.</p><p>The woman has been identified as Lisa Chapman, 48, of Mendocino.</p><p>The dog, which had stopped halfway down the steep cliff, was later rescued, said Danny Hervilla, chief of the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department.</p><p>Witnesses said they saw the Chapman disappear over the western edge of the Mendocino headlands while chasing the medium-sized black dog at 5:44 p.m., Hervilla said.</p><p>It's not clear whether she followed the dog as it scampered down the cliff or whether she fell from the top of the cliff, he said.</p><p>Several people who climbed partway down the cliff to try to reach the woman got trapped and had to be assisted climbing back up, Hervilla said.</p><p>Firefighters recovered Chapman's body from a small, rocky beach area, where high tides and rough surf were threatening to pull her body out to sea, he said.</p><p>Chapman's dog watched the rescue, barking as firefighters lifted her up the cliff using a stretcher, he said. The volunteer fire department is frequently called upon to rescue dogs from Mendocino's cliffs, Hervilla said.</p><p>Chapman is the fourth person in 18 months to die after a fall from the ocean cliffs within the Mendocino fire district, Hervilla said.</p>