Two people are dead and one person remains missing after weekend flash flooding in Grand Canyon National Park, officials said, and families confirmed one of the dead is a Granbury chiropractor who was hiking with two friends who have ties to the Hood County city about 45 minutes southwest of Fort Worth.
The National Park Service said a flash flood tore through Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area about 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Incident Commander Dave Black said Monday that search crews had recovered two bodies and that rangers had accounted for nearly everyone they could trace through permits, license plates and family contacts, leaving one person unaccounted for. About 80 people were rescued over the weekend, officials said.
Families identified Dr. John Giusti, a Granbury chiropractor and father of three daughters, as among those killed. Park officials said the body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River. A second body was recovered Monday. Authorities have not publicly identified the second victim.
Search and recovery efforts continue following the flooding in Grand Canyon National Park. Two bodies have been recovered. Preliminary assessments indicate approximately 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed. Forecasted weather may affect the timing and pace…
— Grand Canyon NPS (@GrandCanyonNPS) August 31, 2026
Giusti had entered the canyon Friday with Brent Rosenkranz, 42, a Granbury martial arts instructor and father of three, and Timothy Allen Smith, who was raised in Granbury and lives in Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming, according to a joint family statement reported by The Dallas Morning News and NBC 5. The families said the men planned several days of hiking, camping and fishing, last spoke with relatives Thursday, and reached camp Friday. As of Monday, the families said Rosenkranz and Smith had not been found and asked the public to keep praying for them.
Officials have not said whether the second recovered body is one of Giusti’s companions. Black said crews were still holding out hope the remaining missing person is alive. Heavy rain on Monday slowed the search. A U.S. Border Patrol technical team was expected to help Tuesday, according to Arizona reporting.
The flood destroyed footbridges, closed the North Kaibab Trail and Phantom Ranch, and damaged about 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline, the park service said. Overnight lodging on the South Rim was halted under water restrictions. The park asked anyone with information about hikers in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Aug. 29 to call the NPS Investigative Services Branch tip line at 888-653-0009.
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