A woman who went missing amid a flash flood in Arizona has been found dead in the Grand Canyon.
33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson was lost during sudden flooding in the national park last week, which stranded several hikers in the Canyon. According to an August 25 announcement from the park—just days after the woman went missing—Nickerson’s body was found by a “commercial river trip” making its way along the Colorado River.
The woman’s body was “retrieved” by park rangers before being transported “to the rim of the canyon” via helicopter. It was then sent to the medical examiner for Coconino County. Nickerson was last seen alive on August 22, roughly “100 yards above” where the Havasu Creek and the Colorado River connect.
The woman’s family shared via social media “endless gratitude” for the National Park Service Search and Rescue which had found Nickerson through “tireless, selfless, and courageous efforts.” They added that the work of the agency “impacted” the family in a manner they “cannot express” with words.
Her family also remembered Nickerson, saying her “light” will remain in their lives even after her death, that her “memory will never fade,” and that those left behind would continue to “honor her” by living in the “joy and love” she shared.
A news release from the National Park Service explained that the flooding which swept Nickerson away reached Havasu Creek between one and two o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday August 22. Those hiking in the area were stranded both above and below Beaver Falls. A rescue flight was on its way to help hikers before three o’clock.
But Nickerson was washed into the creek with the flooding, according to park officials. She had been hiking with her husband—who was saved by rafters—but had not been wearing a life jacket. Tamara Morales, the woman’s sister, took to social media on Saturday August 24 to announce that Nickerson had not been found. Even then, the woman’s family upheld the rescue teams who were “navigating incredibly dangerous terrain” with limited communication tools to locate her sister.
The Supai region, where Beaver Falls is located, was closed to tourists through Sunday August 25, as announced by the Havasupai Tribe. At the time of the announcement, the group was still evacuating the area of hikers who were caught in the flash flooding.
Sadly, Nickerson is not the first to have died while visiting the Grand Canyon region. In 2024 alone, 11 people have lost their lives in the national park, with three incidents occurring within one week. According to a spokesperson for the National Park Service, this death rate is above the average from the past few years.
There is an average death rate of 17 per year in the Grand Canyon. The leading cause of death, based on data from the past 10 years, is cardiac arrest. Additionally, more than 250 people are rescued from the park every year. Between 2007 and 2024, almost 200 have died, including 39 hikers.
