The body of one woman who disappeared After being swept away by floods in the Grand Canyon last week, it has been found, the park said in a statement on Sunday.
“Chenoa Nickerson, 33, of Gilbert, Arizona, was discovered by a commercial river trip near River Mile 176 in the Colorado River,” Grand Canyon National Park said. Park Rangers retrieved the body and it was then taken to the edge of the canyon by helicopter before being transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner, the park said.
Nickerson was swept into Havasu Creek by flooding that hit that area of the park Thursday, park officials said. Havasu Creek joins the Colorado River, and the park said she was last seen about “100 yards above” where the two bodies of water connect.
National Park Service
Nickerson had been hiking with her husband, according to the report CBS affiliate KPHO-TVand had no life jacket. Her husband was saved by rafters. Others in the area had also been stranded by the flood and more than 100 tourists and tribal members had to be rescued, KPHO reported, but Nickerson was the only one who remained missing after initial rescue operations.
After her body was found, Nickerson’s family expressed on social media, “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. We are deeply grateful for their dedication and hard work, which has affected us in ways words cannot express.”
“Chenoa’s light will forever be a part of all of us, and we will make sure her spirit continues to shine brightly,” the family wrote. “Her memory will never fade, and we will honor her by passing on the joy and love she brought into all of our lives.”
contributed to this report.