Woman Meets Untimely End in Grand Canyon, Nature Strikes Back

Well, well, well, looks like Mother Nature decided to play a little game of "find the human" with Chenoa Nickerson, 33, in Grand Canyon National Park. In a truly Darwinian turn of events, Nickerson got swept away by flash floods last Thursday. She was casually hanging out about 30 miles west of Grand Canyon Village, without a care in the world—or a life jacket, because who needs safety?

Three days after she went missing, some lucky commercial river trip folks stumbled upon her body in the Colorado River. Park rangers, ever the heroes, used a helicopter to fish her out and transport her to the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service was busy playing a real-life game of hide-and-seek, conducting a search and rescue operation for those glorious three days. Now, they're working with the medical examiner to figure out what went wrong. Spoiler alert: flash floods are bad, mkay?

Nickerson was with her hubby when the flood hit, because nothing says romance like a good old-fashioned natural disaster. They got separated, and while Nickerson took a one-way trip, her husband got lucky and was found by local rafters. Must be nice to have a happy ending, eh?

Couple's Vacation Turns into Real-Life Action Movie

The lovebirds were visiting from Gilbert, a Phoenix suburb, because why not go from suburban hell to a tourist trap? They hiked around the Supai Village area, known for its waterfalls and "heavenly blue pools"—because nature is so Instagram-worthy until it kills you.

Mass Evacuation: A Helicopter Extravaganza

In a jaw-dropping display of efficiency, the Arizona National Guard airlifted 104 tourists and tribal members out of the Havasupai Falls area. It was like a Blackhawk Down reenactment, but with fewer gunshots and more crying tourists.

This was the first flash flood of 2024, according to Joelle Baird, a park service spokesperson. Because Mother Nature was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She's covered everything from Miami's seedy underbelly to the nonsense that is tech and pop culture. You can stalk her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz. Because narcissism is the new black.