An accidental fall down an embankment about a mile west of Powell claimed the life of a rural Powell woman Monday evening, authorities said.

Janet Lynn Poulsen, 59, died as a result of injuries she sustained in a roughly 15- to 20-foot fall down a steep embankment near a creek, said Park County Coroner Tim Power.

Poulsen had reportedly been out walking her dog. Power said authorities don’t know why she fell, but he said the embankment was slick with frost and ice.

Poulsen’s father reported her missing at 6:17 p.m. Tuesday after having not seen or heard from her for a couple days.

Park County Sheriff’s deputies immediately responded to Poulsen’s Lane 9 home and searched the residence and her nearby business, The Gallery of Hair Design, according to agency spokesman Lance Mathess. Deputies also spoke to neighbors, who recalled last seeing Poulsen around 4 p.m. Monday as she walked with her dog along Lane 9 west of Road 11.

Park County Search and Rescue was summoned around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday and members of the agency’s canine unit found Poulsen’s body around 1:19 a.m. Wednesday, Mathess said.

The location was on a dirt road about 200 yards south of Lane 9, authorities said. It was roughly a quarter-mile from Poulsen’s home.

A memorial service for Poulsen has been scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 31, at Thompson Funeral Home.

Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.thompsonfuneral.net or to P.O. Box 807, Powell, WY, 82435.

Editor's note: This version corrects how far the location was from Powell and Poulsen's home and that the bank is near a creek, not an irrigation canal.