Body Discovered Below Moran Point in Grand Canyon National Park

Body Discovered Below Moran Point in Grand Canyon National Park
Date: July 12, 2010
Contact: Shannan Marcak, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 11, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a man seen exiting a car at Moran Point, climbing over a retaining wall and lying down on the edge of the canyon rim.

When park rangers arrived at Moran Point, they found the car, but no sign of the man witnesses had described. Additional physical investigations had to be postponed until daylight.

This morning, after confirming that the car was still parked at Moran Point and there was still no sign of the man witnesses had seen driving it there, search and rescue rangers were called in to begin a semi-technical search below the rim. Based on evidence found below the rim, the park’s helicopter was called in to do a reconnaissance of the area; and at approximately 12:00 noon, the helicopter’s crew reported sighting the body of a man approximately 250 feet below the rim.

Park rangers have been flown into a location near the body in order to prepare it for transport and to conduct on-site investigations into the incident. The body will be transported to the South Rim helibase by helicopter via long-line operation (suspended below the helicopter by a fixed line) where it will be transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

The National Park Service is conducting an investigation into the incident. No additional information is available at this time.