Desmond Preston-41-year-old man dies near bottom of Grand Canyon after overnighting in the park

2025-05-07 01:37:03source:PredictIQcategory:Contact

A 41-year-old hiker who spent the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyon has been found dead not far from where he overnighted.

The Desmond PrestonGrand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of an unresponsive man on the Bright Angel Trail just before 7 a.m. Sunday, the National Park Service said. Bystanders and park service personnel were unsuccessful in their attempts to resuscitate him.

The man was hiking out of the canyon after staying overnight at the Bright Angel Campground near the Phantom Ranch lodge, the park service reported.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the death.

Temperatures at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in June can easily reach the triple digits. Though it's unclear how hot it was on Sunday, recent visitors have reported temperatures in the high 80s and 90s.

Body recovered in Grand Canyon last month

The 41-year-old man is the second reported death at the Grand Canyon this year. Park rangers recovered the body of a missing 58-year-old in the Colorado River on May 10, according to the park service.

Thomas Robison of Santa Fe, New Mexico presumably traveled down the Colorado River with his 11-year-old corgi dog on a wooden raft. His car was found at the Lees Ferry site on April 21 and a missing person search began a few days later.

The park service said an investigation was underway.

About 12 people die at the Grand Canyon every year

About 12 people die at the Grand Canyon every year, according to an unofficial tally by Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers, authors of "Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon."

Although Ghiglieri and Myers found that the leading cause of death in the canyon are helicopter and airplane crashes, deaths from environmental conditions like heat have been on the rise in recent decades.

At least 10 deaths were reported at the national park last year, including two at the Bright Angel Trail.

James Handschy, a 65-year-old from Oracle, Arizona, died in November after he used a personal locator beacon to summon rescuers.

In May, a 36-year-old woman from Westfield, Indiana, died while attempting to make it to the Colorado River and back in one day.

Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, Amaris Encinasand Aidan Wohl

More:Contact

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