Body of missing Grand Canyon hiker found after flash flooding prompted rescues of more than 100 people

By Rebekah Riess, Zoe Sottile, Chris Boyette and Sharif Paget, CNN

(CNN) — The body of a missing hiker was recovered along the Colorado River on Sunday after flash flooding in Grand Canyon National Park prompted the rescues of more than 100 people.

Search and rescue operations began Thursday, when flash flooding swept hiker Chenoa Nickerson, 33, into the park’s Havasu Creek, according to the National Park Service. A commercial river trip group discovered her body Sunday near mile 176 of the Colorado River.

The park service and the Coconino County medical examiner are conducting an investigation, the park service said in a Sunday news release.

Nickerson’s family posted a statement on Facebook after her body was recovered, saying, “Our hearts are heavy with grief.”

“Chenoa’s light will forever be a part of all of us, and we will ensure that her spirit continues to shine brightly,” the statement said. “Her memory will never fade, and we will honor her by carrying forward the joy and love she brought into all of our lives.”

Hazardous flooding also led Arizona’s National Guard to use a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to evacuate 104 tourists and tribal members from a canyon on the lands of the Havasupai Tribe within the park on Saturday, video from the Arizona National Guard showed.

Flooding triggered by monsoon storms on Thursday forced local authorities to shut down the area to tourists and prompted several emergency evacuations.

Tribal leaders also closed the remote village of Supai, located 8 miles below the rim of the Grand Canyon, the Havasupai Tribal Council said in a news release on Saturday.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs activated the Arizona National Guard to assist with rescue efforts on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which is surrounded by Grand Canyon National Park, according to KNXV. CNN meteorologists said no rain is forecast for the area in the coming days.

‘We crossed rivers, formed human chains’

A married North Carolina couple told CNN as they hiked in the Havasupai Indian Reservation on Thursday, nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen.

Shruti Chopra, 34, knew rain was in the forecast but said she didn’t anticipate it would result in intense flash flooding. “It did not even occur to us that we were in danger,” she told CNN.

She and her husband, along with a family of four, ducked into a cove to avoid getting drenched, Chopra said. As they waited for the rain to stop, a man riding a mule, who Chopra described as a Native American, spotted them and yelled, “Higher ground! Higher ground!”

Sensing the panic in his voice and seeing how fast the area was starting to flood, they started climbing. After reaching higher ground, the group of six set off for the nearest village.

“For the next three hours, we crossed rivers, formed human chains and hacked through the thorny bushes and cacti,” Chopra said. At one point, she said, a huge boulder crashed right in front of them, hitting a tree, which sent a large branch in their direction.

After arriving at the village, Chopra said they were greeted by other hikers. The National Guard evacuated her and her husband to safety Saturday morning.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Ashley R. Williams contributed to his report.