Additional Coverage:
- 20-year-old woman’s body recovered at Grand Canyon after days-long search, officials say (newsbreak.com)
A 20-year-old woman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, identified as Leticia A. Castillo, was found deceased at the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, authorities announced on Thursday.
Her discovery marked the third death at the national park since July 31 and at least the fourth this summer. Officials noted that the recovery efforts were challenged by bad weather and difficult terrain.
Castillo is believed to have gone into the Grand Canyon around August 3. Her body was located approximately 150 feet below the rim near the Twin Overlooks on Desert View Drive. Both the National Park Service and the local county medical examiner’s office are conducting investigations into her death.
In a separate incident on August 1, park rangers recovered the body of a man who had attempted a BASE jump from Yavapai Point on the South Rim. His body was found 500 feet below the rim, alongside a deployed parachute.
The man’s identity has not been disclosed. BASE jumping is illegal throughout the Grand Canyon National Park.
Another recent tragedy involved Abel Joseph Mejia, a 20-year-old from North Carolina, who died after falling from the rim near Pipe Creek Overlook on July 31. His body was found 400 feet below the rim.
Mejia was reported to be a student at Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis, described by the college as having a warm smile and gentle spirit. His death occurred while he was on a mission trip with the Turning Point Pentecostal Church, which has asked for prayers for Mejia’s family.
Earlier in the summer, a man from Texas also died after collapsing on a hiking trail in the park. Approximately 12 fatalities occur each year at Grand Canyon National Park, according to a report by CBS affiliate KLAS-TV from June.