Published 1 hour ago • loading... • Updated 17 minutes ago
Body found in Grand Canyon was missing hiker, wife says, bringing flood death toll to 3
The discovery closed a three-person search after flash floods swept the Phantom Ranch area and damaged the South Rim water pipeline, officials said.
On Thursday, Carrie Smith confirmed that remains found Monday near Crystal Rapids were those of her husband, pilot Timothy Allen Smith, ending a three-week search following late August flash floods.
Smith, a 53-year-old pilot from Star Valley, Wyoming, was hiking with companions Brent Rosenkranz and John Giusti when flooding swept through the canyon on August 29, claiming all three lives.
During the two-day deluge, searchers rescued more than 80 people as torrents devastated the Phantom Ranch area and damaged the water pipeline serving the South Rim.
Carrie Smith wrote on Facebook that her family no longer has to wait, adding, "Tim was found two days ago by the Rangers," while acknowledging the men were doing something they loved.
National Park Service officials recently determined that the near-complete pipeline project sustained minimal damage and expect to restore a reliable water supply to the canyon in weeks, not months.