Winter Knutson Death – Ithaca High School graduate and Cornell University Student Winter Knutson has sadly passed away. On Sunday, the Ithaca Fire Department (IFD) was called into action for three separate incidents related to the city’s gorges, all of which occurred in less than 12 hours.
The first emergency call came in just after 1:00 a.m. when Tompkins County 911 received a report of a person who had fallen near the Stewart Avenue Bridge. Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene, where they used a high-angle rope rescue system to stabilize and extract the individual from the gorge. The rescued person was subsequently transferred to a LifeNet air ambulance that had landed in Jessup Field, which transported them to a regional trauma center for further medical care.
While the individual’s condition remains undisclosed, the Ithaca Police Department is conducting an ongoing investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the fall. Authorities have not released any further details about the individual’s identity or the cause of the accident. Later that morning, around 10:30 a.m., emergency crews were called back to the gorges following a report of a deceased person found in the waters of Fall Creek Gorge, located near the Stewart Avenue Bridge.
At this time, the Ithaca Police Department is investigating the circumstances of the death, though no further details have been made public. Firefighters quickly responded to the scene, conducting an extensive search of the area. Fortunately, no one was found, and no rescue operation was necessary. It was later determined that the initial report was a false alarm, with no individual needing assistance in the gorge at that time.
Knutson, a recent graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, who had been studying mathematics and physics. Knutson, a graduate of Ithaca High School, is survived by their father, Prof. Allen Knutson, a mathematician at Cornell, as well as their mother, Sofia Akber, and sibling, Taran Knutson.
