2 Boaters Found Dead Days Apart, Becoming 7th and 8th Deaths at Grand Canyon National Park Since July
The victims — both killed in separate incidents — are believed to be the 15th and 16th people to died at the national park this year
NPS Photo/E. Whittaker
Grand Canyon, Near River Mile 137 on the Colorado River, where one person was found dead in early September 2024Two boaters died within days of each other in separate incidents at the Grand Canyon, becoming the seventh and eighth people to die at the national park since the end of July.
Patrick Horton, 59, was found dead on Saturday, Sept. 7, on “the 10th day of a non-commercial river trip along the Colorado River,” according to a news release from the National Park Service.
The Colorado resident was located by members of his party near river mile 137 at Poncho’s Kitchen. His official cause of death has not been released.
Two days later, the NPS said, a 71-year-old boater disappeared in the area of Lower Nankoweap Camp along the Colorado River. A body matching his description was found the next day near river mile 63.5.
Both deaths are under investigation, according to the NPS.
Related: Parents of Tourist Killed in 2018 Grand Canyon Helicopter Crash Awarded $100M in Court Settlement
Six other people have died at Grand Canyon National Park since July. On July 31, 20-year-old college student Abel Joseph Mejia died after falling about 400 feet from the rim near the Pipe Creek Overlook, according to park officials.
Turning Point Pentecostal Church shared on social media that Mejia was on a “missions trip” when the “accident” occurred.
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The next day, on Aug. 1, a man died after attempting an illegal BASE jump from the Yavapai Point, located on the canyon's South Rim in Arizona, according to the NPS.
Less than a week later, on Aug. 6, the body of Leticia A. Castillo was found below Twin Overlooks along Desert View Drive. Authorities said the New Mexico woman’s remains were found “approximately 150 ft. below the rim” of the canyon following a multi-day search.
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Ancestral Puebloean Granaries near mile 52 on the Colorado River, about 10 miles from where a boater was found dead in September 2024About two weeks later, on Aug. 22, authorities said 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson disappeared after she was "swept into" Havasu Creek without a life jacket during a flash flood.
A commercial river trip found the Arizona hiker's body three days later near river mile 176 in the Colorado River. That same day, an 80-year-old man died “after his boat flipped at Fossil Rapid.”
Three days later, on Aug. 28, the NPS said a 60-year-old hiker from North Carolina was found dead along a route bridging Lower Tapeats Camp and Deer Creek Camp. He was reported missing the day prior after failing to return from his attempt to hike the Thunder River Trail-Deer Creek loop.
Related: Man, 92, Who Began Living a 'Healthy Lifestyle' in His 70s Breaks Grand Canyon World Record
In total, 16 people are believed to have died at Grand Canyon National Park this year, CBS News reported.
More people have died at the Grand Canyon in 2024 than in 2023 and 2022, which saw 10 and 11 deaths, respectively, per The Arizona Republic.
Typically, the park averages between 10 and 15 deaths per year, said park spokeswoman Joelle Baird, according to CBS News.
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