GRAND CANYON, AZ — Search teams are preparing to use cadaver dogs in the Grand Canyon after a sudden flash flood killed two people and left at least one person missing over the weekend. National Park Service officials said the search will continue in the devastated Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch areas, where rescue crews have already pulled dozens of people to safety.
The current missing-person count is based on overnight camping permits issued by the park, but officials said day hikers without permits could also be unaccounted for. Park incident commander Dave Black said the weather was expected to clear Tuesday, giving crews their first full chance since Saturday afternoon to reach hard-hit locations on foot.
Families identify the dead and the missing as friends who entered the canyon together
The National Park Service has confirmed two deaths in the flooding. The first victim identified was Dr. John Giusti, a 46-year-old Texas chiropractor and father of three daughters, according to his family. On Tuesday, family members identified the second victim as Brent Rosenkranz, 42, of Granbury, Texas.
The person still missing was identified as Timothy Allen Smith, 53, in a joint statement released on behalf of the Giusti, Rosenkranz and Smith families. The statement said the three friends entered the Grand Canyon together on Friday for a trip they had been looking forward to, and that their families last heard from them Thursday evening. According to the family, they reached Bright Angel Campground on Friday and went exploring on Saturday.
Search crews plan dogs, drones and Border Patrol teams for Tuesday operations
Black said four teams with cadaver dogs are scheduled to search the Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch areas on Tuesday. A Border Patrol technical search team is also set to look for the confirmed missing person, and authorities said they plan to use Bluetooth technology and a drone as part of the effort.
Black said crews are still hopeful the missing man may be found alive. The search follows a weekend emergency that forced multiple air evacuations and left rescuers trying to work around severe damage, unstable conditions and washed-out access routes. Officials said the improved weather should help them reach places that were inaccessible while the storm was still active.
More than 80 people were rescued as floodwaters tore through hiking areas and camps
Flash flooding struck around 2:30 p.m. local time Saturday in the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area, both popular destinations for hikers. Authorities said 82 people were rescued from the canyon, most of them by helicopter, while a smaller number were able to hike out on their own.
On Sunday, park officials said more than 20 people had initially been reported missing, and 62 people were air evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail. The National Park Service said the flooding caused major damage across Bright Angel Canyon, including destruction of nearly all footbridges over Bright Angel Creek, which cut off hiker access across the waterway.
Rain, canyon terrain and burn scars helped set up the deadly flood
The National Weather Service said four rounds of rain moved across parts of the Grand Canyon over roughly six hours before the flooding. The first three rounds were not especially heavy, but they soaked the ground and made the area far more vulnerable when a fourth round of torrential rain arrived.
Officials said the canyon’s steep terrain and the burn scar from last year’s Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim were likely major factors in how quickly the water became dangerous. Videos reviewed by ABC News showed the Colorado River running fast and muddy, with debris and pieces of metal structures carried downstream. The images reflected the force of a flood that destroyed campsites, trails and other infrastructure.
Water gauges failed during the flood as officials examine why alerts stopped
Deputy Superintendent Brian Drapeaux said water-level gauges installed in Bright Angel Creek after last year’s Dragon Bravo Fire began warning of rising water before they went offline as the flood intensified. He said the system stopped working as water moved down the creek with increasing speed and force.
Drapeaux said it is not yet clear why the gauges failed. He said debris filling the creek may have knocked the equipment offline. Officials are now working through the damage while also asking anyone who saw hikers or backpackers in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or anyone with a reservation in the affected area, to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
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