Aug. 25, 2024: Authorities recover body of Arizona woman who went missing in Grand Canyon after flash flood
The body of an Arizona woman who went missing in the Grand Canyon National Park after a flash flood days earlier was recovered Sunday, park rangers said.
The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, Arizona, was discovered by a group rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the park said in a statement.
Rangers recovered Nickerson's body, which was transported to the rim by helicopter and transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner's office.
In a statement issued Sunday, her family thanked searchers and supporters and asked for privacy.
“We regret to inform you that our sweet Chenoa has been found deceased. Our hearts are heavy with grief,” the statement said. “Chenoa’s light will forever be a part of all of us, and we will ensure that her spirit continues to shine brightly. Her memory will never fade, and we will honor her by carrying forward the joy and love she brought into all of our lives.”
National Park Service officials said Nickerson was swept into Havasu Creek above the Colorado River confluence around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. She wasn’t wearing a life jacket.
Nickerson was hiking along Havasu Creek about a half-mile from where it meets up with the Colorado River when the flash flood struck.
Nickerson’s husband was among the more than 100 people safely evacuated.
The flood trapped several hikers in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of a series of usually blue-green waterfalls that draw tourists from around the world to the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation. The area is prone to flooding that turns its iconic waterfalls chocolate brown.
Other hikers made it to the village, about 2 miles from the campground, where they awaited helicopter rides out.
Gov. Katie Hobbs activated the Arizona National Guard, including Blackhawk helicopters, to help evacuate hikers from the village.
Guard officials said an estimated 104 tribal members and tourists near Havasupai Falls have been evacuated since Thursday after floodwaters left them stranded.
The Havasupai Tribe’s reservation is one of the most remote in the continental U.S., accessible only by foot, mule or helicopter.
Helicopter evacuations began after bridges were washed away and rescuers fanned out amid a series of towering waterfalls.
The medical examiner’s office and park service are investigating her death.
Aug. 24, 2024: Sister says hiker still missing in Grand Canyon flash flood
Search and rescue crews at Grand Canyon National Park were searching for an Arizona woman nearly two days after she was swept into a creek during a flash flood, the woman’s sister said on social media Saturday.
Chenoa Nickerson of Gilbert, Arizona, was hiking in Havasu Creek, about a half-mile from where it meets up with the Colorado River, when the flash flood struck Thursday in the early afternoon.
The National Park Service said the 33-year-old stayed overnight at a campground near the village of Supai on the Havasupai reservation, deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon.
The flood trapped several hikers in the area above and below Beaver Falls, one of a series of usually blue-green waterfalls that draw tourists from around the world to the Havasupai Tribe’s reservation. The area is prone to flooding that turns its iconic waterfalls chocolate brown.
Other hikers made it to the village, about 2 miles from the campground, where they awaited a helicopter ride. Gov. Katie Hobbs has activated the Arizona National Guard, including Blackhawk helicopters, to help evacuate hikers from the village.
Tamara Morales, a sister to the missing hiker, noted the National Guard deployment and praised rescue crews with the National Park Service for “navigating incredibly dangerous terrain with extremely limited methods of communication while leaving no stone unturned.”
“We are profoundly grateful for you and fully acknowledge that you are currently defying the impossible,” Morales said on Facebook. She did not respond directly to direct messages.
The Havasupai Tribe’s reservation is one of the most remote in the continental U.S., accessible only by foot, mule or helicopter. The Tribal Council closed the steep, winding trail that leads to the reservation after the flooding and asked visitors with permits through Sunday not to come.
“We kindly ask for your patience as we see to the health and safety of the tourists and the Tribal members,” the tribe’s tourism department said on its Facebook page.
Morales posted a photo of her smiling sister at the base of steep desert river canyon, dressed in athletic clothing worn when she disappeared, with what appeared to be an electronic wristwatch or fitness device on her wrist.
Aug. 23, 2024: Gilbert woman swept away in flash flood at Havasu Creek, search continues
Search and rescue teams at the Grand Canyon are still searching for a Gilbert woman who was swept away in a flash flood Thursday.
According to Grand Canyon National Park spokesperson Joelle Baird, 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson was with her husband and several other hikers when the flood hit.
She said Nickerson was “swept into Havasu Creek approximately half a mile above the Colorado River Confluence.”
She also said Nickerson was not wearing a life jacket when she was last seen.
At least four hikers have made it back to the Havasu campground on their own, but Baird said search and rescue crews are still looking for other hikers, including Nickerson.
“Being in these narrow side canyons is not somewhere you’d want to be during a major storm,” she said.
Flash floods can come suddenly, and are more frequent during the summer monsoon season. Baird says it’s important for hikers to check the weather before they head down into the canyon, and that if the canyon does experience a flood getting to high ground should be hikers’ priority.
