HAVASUPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, AZ (KTVK/KPHO/Gray News) — The search for a missing Gilbert woman swept away by fast-moving floodwaters in northern Arizona ended tragically Sunday.
On Sunday, Grand Canyon National Park officials said 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson was found dead around 11:30 a.m. while on a commercial river trip in the Colorado River.
Park rangers recovered Nickerson’s body and took it to the Coconino County Coroner.
Nickerson was last seen around 1:30 p.m. Thursday while hiking in Havasu Creek with her husband.
A flash flood hit the area and Nickerson was swept into the creek, half a mile above the mouth of the Colorado River.
The flash flood forced hundreds of people to evacuate this popular hiking and bathing resort.
On Friday, Governor Katie Hobbs activated the Arizona National Guard to assist with evacuation efforts after the Havasupai Tribe requested assistance.
The Arizona National Guard provided a helicopter to evacuate about 104 people from the Havasupai community from Friday night into Saturday afternoon.
The National Park Service announced that the Havasupai Tribal Council has decided to close Havasupai Falls until further notice due to significant damage.
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