The National Park Service confirmed on Sunday that authorities retrieved the body of missing Grand Canyon hiker Chenoa Nickerson following flash flooding in the region late last week.
The NPS said her body was discovered by people on a river commercial river trip near mile 176 of the Colorado River. Her remains were transported to the rim of the Grand Canyon by helicopter and transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.
Nickerson was found three days after she was reported missing, nearly 19 miles from where she was last seen. The National Park Service said she was last seen approximately 100 yards above the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River.
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Heavy rain was reported in the Colorado River valley last Wednesday, causing water levels to rise. The flash flood left Nickerson and several other hikers stranded last Thursday. The National Park Service deployed rescue teams to assist those caught in the flash flood.
The National Park Service then launched a search and rescue operation after Nickerson was reportedly swept into the water.
Flash flooding has caused fatalities in the Grand Canyon in the past. On July 14, 2021, one person died, and two were injured during a flash flood at the Tatahatso Camp near River Mile 38 on the Colorado River.
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"Flash floods are common in the desert southwest, including Northern Arizona. This is because the arid, sparsely vegetated environments found in these areas have little capacity to absorb rainfall," the National Park Service said. "The resulting runoff moves rapidly through the narrow canyons and steep terrain found throughout the region. In many areas, even small storms can turn normally dry streambeds into raging torrents of water in a matter of minutes."
