Grand Canyon rangers recover body from below South Rim

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. – On Saturday, Dec. 8, rangers recovered a body that had been spotted by Grand Canyon National Park’s helicopter pilot while flying a routine mission.  The body was located below the Abyss Overlook on Hermit Road – also known as the West Rim Drive.

After the body was discovered, two park rangers were flown in to begin their investigations and to prepare the body for transport.  At that time, the body was determined to be that of a male of undetermined age.  Once initial investigations were completed, the body was flown to the South Rim and transported to the Station One Ambulance Bays where it was met by the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

The identity of the deceased is not currently known.  An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service in collaboration with the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

Shannan Marcak , a representative for the park, said the process of identifying the body could take several weeks as the body “was not in good condition” after being exposed to the elements for an unknown amount of time.

She said the medical examiner was starting from scratch as far as identification went, though the public would be made aware of the body’s identity once a match had been determined.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2012, all rights reserved.

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