The body of a Grand Canyon National Park visitor was washed away Sunday morning in the Colorado River by floodwaters, park officials said.
Chenoa Nickerson, 33, is from Gilbert, Arizona, the National Park Service said in a statement Sunday. She was swept away Thursday along with her husband, who was rescued by the rafters, an NBC affiliate. Phoenix KPNX.
In a statement sent to Station On Sunday, his family confirmed the news, saying “our hearts are heavy with grief”.
Nickerson’s body was found about 11:30 a.m. near river mile marker 176 by people on a boat used for guided tours of the Colorado River, according to a park service statement and a spokeswoman who responded by email.
According to the Park Service, the location of the discovery is in Havasu Canyon, nearly 20 miles from where he was reported missing.
She was swept into Havasu Creek, about a half-mile from its confluence with the river, according to earlier reports, and park officials feared she had ended up in an overland waterway.
The park service said the flash flood occurred around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The region is subject to late summer thunderstorms every year, and the National Weather Service says another chance for rain is forecast for Wednesday this week.
Some hikers in the area became stranded above and below nearby Beaver Falls and were rescued by helicopter, the park service said.
KPNX reported Eventually 100 people were rescued.
The family’s statement thanked first responders and those who rushed to the scene to find Nickerson.
“Our family would like to express our sincere and endless gratitude to the men and women of the National Park Service Search and Rescue Team for their tireless, selfless and courageous efforts,” the statement said.
The Havasupai Tribe said in a statement Sunday, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chenoa Nickerson.”
After the flash flood, the tribe closed Havasupai Falls, a move supported by Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, the community said in a statement.
