After days of scouring the Grand Canyon for Leticia A. Castillo, a 20-year-old resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, park rangers discovered her corpse on Tuesday, around 150 feet below the rim near Twin Overlooks, along Desert View Drive, according to an NPS press release.
Her corpse was moved to the rim and sent to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The NPS estimates that Castillo entered the Grand Canyon on or about August 3.
The event is being investigated by the NPS and the medical examiner for Coconino County.
The passing of Leticia A. Castillo was at least the fourth recorded death at the national park since the beginning of the summer and the third since July 31.
Authorities received a report on August 1, a few days before Castillo’s body was discovered, of a tourist who had died after BASE jumping from Yavapai Point on the Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim. The victim’s corpse and a deployed parachute were discovered by park officials around 500 feet below the rim. The man’s identity has not yet been made public by officials.
Grand Canyon National Park prohibits BASE jumping, which is the practice of parachuting from fixed objects, in all of its locations.
On July 31, a tourist to the Grand Canyon also passed away. 20-year-old Abel Joseph Mejia of North Carolina fell from the rim about 1/4 mile west of Pipe Creek Overlook. His corpse was discovered 400 feet below the rim by Rangers.
The North Carolina family of Abel Mejia said that he was visiting churches in New Mexico and Arizona as part of a mission trip with his church when his group made the decision to go to the Grand Canyon.
Officials stated that “Mr. Mejia was near the edge of the rim when he suffered an accidental fall.” “The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting an investigation into the incident.”
Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis claimed that Mejia was a student there in a social media post.
“Abel lost his life yesterday in an accident while visiting the Grand Canyon,” the university stated. “He was known for his warm smile and gentle spirit, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him.”
Officials told Arizona Family that hazardous terrain and bad weather were challenges they faced on each of the three retrieval efforts.
Grand Canyon National Park employees advise all visitors to maintain a safe distance of at least six feet (2 meters) from the edge of the rim, stay within railings and fences at views, and stick to approved paths and pathways.