The body of a woman who went missing during a devastating flash flood in the Grand Canyon was recovered on Sunday, the National Park Service confirmed.
Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was found dead by a commercial river trip on the Colorado River, the Park Service confirmed in a news release on Sunday. Her body was recovered by helicopter and transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Park Service and the medical examiner’s office are conducting an investigation into her death.
Nickerson was hiking in the Havasu Canyon on Thursday when a catastrophic flash flood struck the region, catching dozens of tourists and local residents of the Havasupai Indian Reservation off guard.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs deployed the state’s National Guard with a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to the area on Friday after a request from the Havasupai Tribal Council. A total of 104 people, including both tourists and Havasupai locals, were evacuated from the area, local station Arizona’s Family reported.
The Havasupai Council has since indefinitely closed the trails to their eponymous campsite and waterfalls due to extensive flood damage.
Nickerson was last seen around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday near the Colorado River Confluence, where the Havasu Creek meets the larger river. The Park Service said she was seen getting swept into the creek without a life jacket.
Her body was eventually discovered about 19 miles from the confluence, the Park Service confirmed.
“We regret to inform you that our sweet Chenoa has been found deceased,” the hiker’s family said in a statement to local station NBC 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. “Our hearts are heavy with grief.”
