A mother of an infant girl has plummeted 100ft to her death while caving without a helmet or proper abseiling gear.

Autumn Nicole Draper, 38, fell as she explored a cave on private property in Staffordsville, Virginia, near the West Virginia border, on Friday.

A fellow caver called 911 about 4.15pm, but it was not until after 1am on Saturday that her body was retrieved, Giles County Emergency Services said.

Draper, also known as Nikki Koert, was the mother of a young daughter whom her brother Brandon Koert promised to raise as his own.

'My beautiful sister is now with God. My heart is aching and I don't even know what to say,' he said.

Autumn Nicole Draper, 38, (pictured center with her brother and family) fell as she explored a cave on private property in Staffordsville, Virginia , near the West Virginia border

Draper (right), also known as Nikki Koert, was the mother of a young daughter whom her brother Brandon Koert (left) promised to raise as his own

'I know that life was hard. And that you carried so much pain in your heart. I'm so sorry Nikki. I wish I could have done so much more.

'Your little girl is ganna be just fine. I can't look at her and not see you. I can't hear her little deep voice and not hear yours when you were that age. 

'I promise you I will shower her with love. I will protect her, I will always show up and be there for her, I will raise her and be the best daddy I can be for as long as I am here. Love, your Big Brother.'

Koert thanked his friend James Crigger, who stayed as rescuers from the Celco Emergency Response team and Blacksburg Rescue Squad's Technical Rescue Cave team found and removed her body.

'I couldn't thank you enough for all you have done for us man. Sitting out there with us half the night and not leaving until they retrieved her out of that cave,' he said.

Local police said Draper was not wearing a helmet nor using appropriate rappelling gear when she fell

Draper lived in the nearby town of Fairlawn, near Roanoke, with her daughter and grew up in Pulaski.

Local police said Draper was not wearing a helmet nor using appropriate rappelling gear when she fell.

Giles County Chief Deputy Scott Moye did not suspect foul play, but said the sheriff's office was waiting for the results of an autopsy.

Virginia has more than 4,000 caves, at least 253 caves in Giles County alone, but only a dozen of them are developed as tourist attractions. 

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