Missing woman Chenoa Nickerson, 33, found dead after flash flooding near Grand Canyon

A woman who had been missing for three days has been found dead after being swept away by flash flooding near Arizona’s Grand Canyon.

The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was found by a commercial riverboat on the Colorado River, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) 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. She described being swallowed by a tributary of the Colorado River where it enters the national park.

More than 100 others were successfully pulled from floodwaters Sunday using air, ground and rescue vehicles, with the search concentrated at the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, the park service said.

The creek also runs through Havasupai Tribe territory. Tribal leaders had asked Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs for help with the flooding. The state provided resources, including a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, to help get the job done.

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The hiker without a life jacket was swallowed by rising waters at Havasu Creek on Thursday. The floodwaters can be seen here ripping 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 announced it was closing its territory to tourists until further notice.

“The council is actively working to safely evacuate tourists who were in Supai at the time of the flooding,” the Havasupai Tribe, which allows hikers access to the area where the falls are located, said in its statement.

They added how the tribe was still busy evacuating hikers affected by the floods.

Nickerson’s family, her mother and sister, have not yet commented on the discovery. However, they have been asking for information about the hikers’ whereabouts in recent days.

Her mother wrote in a social media post: ‘Does anyone have a list of the names of the hikers who are with the SAR after yesterday’s floods?

Her sister Dena said, “Chenoa and her husband Andrew Nickerson were hiking in the Havasupai area on August 22, 2024.

‘Andrew contacted his father via satellite phone on 8/22/2024 at 6:16 p.m. and reported that he and Chenoa had been hit by a flash flood and that they had both been washed away, and that Andrew had been rescued.

“He said he is camping in a safe place with a rafting crew who rescued him and that NPS SAR was on the scene last night. Please help us. We are desperate.”

Her husband Andrew, pictured 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 flood relief, and the state provided resources including a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to help get the job done. Nickerson was found around 11:30 a.m.

Over the weekend, authorities confirmed that Andrew was among those found and pulled from floodwaters by local rafters before the search for his wife came to a tragic end.

She was found around 11:30 a.m., about 30 kilometers from where her husband lost sight of her, the NPS said.

“The victim was discovered by a commercial riverboat near mile 176 of the Colorado River,” the agency said.

“Park rangers arrived on scene and removed the body. It was airlifted to the edge of town and taken to the Coconino County Coroner’s Office.”

The NPS and the Coconino County coroner said they are still investigating the incident and Nickerson’s death.