Body of Third Hiker Missing in Grand Canyon Found

Human remains found in the Grand Canyon this week were those of the last remaining person missing after the deadly flash flooding in late August, the victim's wife said Thursday. The discovery of Timothy Smith brought the death toll to three from flooding that devastated the Phantom Ranch area at the canyon bottom and damaged the water pipeline serving the South Rim, the AP reports. Smith, 53, was a pilot from western Wyoming's Star Valley. His remains were found Monday near Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River that runs through the canyon. The remains of Smith's two backcountry companions, Brent Rosenkranz, 42, and John Giusti, 46, both of Granbury, Texas, were found earlier.

Smith lived in Star Valley Ranch, about 40 miles southwest of Jackson. He, Rosenkranz, and Giusti were on a multiday hiking, fishing, and camping trip when flooding swept through the Grand Canyon. During the two-day deluge, searchers used night vision and other equipment to find people in need of help. More than 80 people were rescued. Soon, only Smith was missing. Carrie Smith confirmed in a Facebook post on Thursday that the remains had been identified as her husband's. "My family has done a lot of waiting over the last three weeks … waiting and hoping Tim (Daddy) would come home, waiting and wondering if the remains found were Tim (Daddy)," she wrote. "We no longer have to wait."