Missing person found dead at Grand Canyon, third fatality at national park in a week

Grand Canyon rangers found the body of a missing person earlier this week, marking the third death at the national park since July 31, authorities said Thursday.

The body of Leticia Castillo, 20, of Albuquerque, was discovered Tuesday 150 feet below an overlook on the canyon’s south rim, the National Park Service said in a news release.

Castillo is believed to have entered the park on Aug. 3, the agency said. The park service and the local medical examiner’s office are investigating the death and no further details were immediately available, the statement said.

On August 2, the body of a BASE jumper (an extreme sport that involves jumping from fixed objects such as bridges, cliffs and buildings with a parachute) was found 500 feet below Yavapai Point, also on the southern edge of the park.

BASE jumping is banned at the Grand Canyon, the park service said. And it has been banned across the national park system in general, an agency official said in a memo earlier this year.

The memo came amid renewed interest in the sport, according to the official, who issued guidance saying BASE jumping can be allowed within the system with a permit if it is determined to be an “appropriate activity.”

In an email sent Thursday, Grand Canyon spokeswoman Joëlle Baird said last week’s fatal jump, which was reported on the morning of Aug. 1, occurred after the man’s parachute became detached from him. It was found on a cliff face 200 feet above his body.

On July 31, Indiana University student Abel Mejia fell to his death near an overlook at the park’s south entrance. His body was recovered the next day.

An investigation into Mejia’s death is ongoing and no additional details were available, Baird said Thursday.

Baird said the summer months present challenging conditions at the park, including extreme heat and increased visitor activity, and have led to an increase in the number of dangerous incidents and deaths.

Between 2014 and 2023, there have been about 17 deaths a year at the park. Since January, there have been 11 deaths at the park, including the three since July 31, Baird said.

According to National Park Service data reviewing park deaths from 2014 to 2019, hiking was responsible for 18 deaths and ranked as the most dangerous recreational activity.

Since 2019, between 2 million and 5 million people have visited the Grand Canyon each year, park data shows.

An NBC News analysis last year found that a little-visited national park popular with alpine climbers, North Cascades in Washington state, had the highest death rate in the country.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com