Since the start of August, three fatalities have occurred at Grand Canyon National Park. On Aug. 1, the body of 20-year-old Abel Joseph Mejia was recovered by authorities. The North Carolina native had fallen from the park's Pipe Creek Overlook that many come to for photographic views of the canyon.
On the same day, a Missouri man attempted a BASE jump (an extreme form of parachute sport) from Yavapai Point and ended up falling to his death. The body of 43-year-old Justin Guthrie was recovered the next day on Aug. 2.
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On Aug. 8, Grand Canyon park authorities announced that a third body since the start of this month was recovered at the park. Leticia Castillo, a 20-year-old student from Albuquerque, N.M. had entered the park on Aug. 3 and ended up falling to her death from Twin Overlooks along Desert View Drive at some point between then and when her body was recovered on Aug. 6.
'Undertaken significant risks to complete these missions'
"An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner," the National Park Service (NPS) said in a statement. "Since July 31, the Grand Canyon Search and Rescue team has handled three technical rescue recoveries. Despite facing inclement weather and hazardous terrain, the team has undertaken significant risks to complete these missions."
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Prior to the NPS announcement of the recovered body, there had been an ongoing search for Castillo after her friends and family reported her missing. The NPS says "no additional information" about her death is available amid the pending investigation.
The Grand Canyon reports an average of 15 deaths per year inside the park but that number has already reached 10 since the start of 2024.
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While each of the three recent deaths occurred in different circumstances (while two of the visitors were simply passing through popular park areas, BASE jumping in particular is illegal in the entirety of the park), the common factor of visitors falling to their deaths from an elevation signals that this is a common risk at the park's many cliffs and overlooks.
While crowded areas carry certain risks of taking wrong steps when trying to get around other people, visitors to remote areas are more likely to test how far they can go to the edge of certain outlooks without others watching, while help after an accident is significantly slower in coming.
Due to the high number of incidents over the last month, the NPS has been putting out advisories to remind visitors to practice safety around steep and rocky parts. It also noted a "renewed interest" in BASE jumping in particular since the start of the summer.
"NPS regulations prohibit delivery of a person by airborne means," the NPS wrote in a recent memo noting some exceptions for those who obtain a permit. "This regulation is not limited to BASE jumping, and includes activities such as hang gliding and paragliding. Several parks have special regulations, similar to the general regulations, that also require a permit for powerless flight."
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