What Was Gavin Escobar's Cause of Death? Ex-Dallas Cowboys TE Dead at 31

By Alexandria Reeves

Former Dallas Cowboys player, Gavin Escobar, died tragically in California. He was 31 years old.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that Escobar died alongside a 33-year-old woman named Chelsea Walsh. As confirmed by the Riverside (Calif.) County sheriff's coroner's office to USA Today, the report revealed that the former NFL player was one of the two rock climbers who died following an accident.

Initially, Eliana Perez and Shad Powers of the Palm Springs Desert Sun said that the initially available information only disclosed that Escobar and Walsh faced a tragic accident while "climbing a 'rock face.'"

A call regarding the incident was made around 12:25 p.m. on Wednesday.

Yard Barker disclosed that local firefighters found it hard to go to the scene due to limited road access. The firefighters and responders then hiked to the location where they found Escobar and Walsh's bodies.

The Long Beach Fire Department, where Escobar had been working since his retirement from the NFL, confirmed the tragic news in an Instagram post on Thursday.

"Hired on February 5, 2022, Firefighter Escobar was assigned to Fire Station 3 on B-shift. Prior to being a Long Beach Firefighter, Gavin Escobar played professional football for the NFL, where he spent most of his time with the Dallas Cowboys. Firefighter Escobar leaves behind his wife and two young children," it said.

It remains unknown what caused the accident to occur, and if they were amateur climbers when the fatal event occurred. However, The Guardian divulged that a small amount of rain fell in the area before Escobar's death. But Tahquitz Rock is famous for its challenging steep granite cliffs.

Gavin Escobar Honored After His Death

Following the confirmation of his passing, leagues and other fans expressed their heartbreak after the tragic event.

A Husband, Father, Friend. I’ve known Gavin Escobar for a decade helping him prepare for his NFL dream as a young college star to coaching him for a season in 2019 w/ the Fleet in the AAF. The ultimate family man and a great human being. He will be missed. 🙏🏼 #RIP pic.twitter.com/P9ulgsKNAh
— Anthony Becht (@Anthony_Becht) September 30, 2022

Escobar first played in the NFL in 2013. He stayed as an athlete until 2017. Throughout his short-lived NFL career, he played for the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, which helped him record 30 catches for 333 yards and eight touchdowns.

Escobar and Walsh's deaths came over a decade after two Los Angeles-based climbers also died in the area in 2000 after falling 200 feet on the rock.