A woman who had been missing for three days has been found dead after being swept away by a flash flood near the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was found during a commercial trip on the Colorado River, about 20 miles downstream from where she disappeared, the U.S. National Park Service said in a statement Sunday.
Nickerson, from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, was swept into Havasu Creek without a life jacket on Thursday, the park service said, describing how she was swallowed by the Colorado River tributary near where it enters the national park.
An aerial, ground and vehicle search Sunday successfully rescued more than 100 people from floodwaters, focusing on the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, the park service said.
The creek also runs through Havasupai tribal lands, where tribal leaders had asked Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs for flood assistance, after which the state provided resources such as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to get the job done.
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The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was found Sunday on a commercial voyage down the Colorado River.
The hiker was swallowed by rising waters near Havasu Creek without a life jacket on Thursday. Here you can see the floodwaters sweeping through the area.
The Arizona National Guard confirmed Saturday that the Blackhawk helped evacuate 104 tourists and tribal members from a canyon, after which the Havasupai Tribal Council said it had closed its lands to tourists until further notice.
“The Council is actively involved in the safe evacuation of tourists who were in Supai at the time of the flooding,” the Havasupai Tribe, which provides access to hikers in the area where the falls are located, said in a statement.
They added how the tribe Work was still underway to evacuate hikers affected by the flash floods.
As for Nickerson’s family, his mother and sister have yet to comment on the discovery, but have been appealing for information on the hikers’ whereabouts for the past few days.
In a post on social media, her mother wrote: ‘Does anyone have a list of names of the hikers who are with SAR after yesterday’s flash floods?
Meanwhile, her sister Dena said: ‘Chenoa and her husband Andrew Nickerson were hiking in the Havasupai area on 08/22/24.
‘Andrew contacted his father via satellite phone on 08/22/2024 at 18:16 to inform him that he and Chenoa were caught in a flash flood and that they were both swept away and that Andrew was rescued.
“He said he was camping in a safe place with a rafting team who rescued him and that the National Search and Rescue Service (NPS) was in sight last night. Please help us. We are desperate.”
Her husband Andrew, seen here with Nickerson, was found by local rafters, along with more than 100 others who were swept away by the water.
The creek runs through Havasupai tribal lands, where tribal leaders had asked Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs for help dealing with flooding, prompting the state to provide resources such as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to do the job. Nickerson was found around 11:30 a.m.
Authorities confirmed over the weekend that Andrew was among those found by local rafters and rescued from flood waters, before the search for his wife ended tragically.
She was found around 11:30 a.m. about 18.7 miles from where her husband lost sight of her, the NPS said.
“The victim was discovered during a commercial river trip near mile marker 176 of the Colorado River,” the agency said.
‘Park rangers responded and recovered the body, which was transported to the rim by helicopter and transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.’
The NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner said they are still investigating the incident and Nickerson’s death.
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