Body found in Grand Canyon is likely teenage boy from Tennessee
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — The Grand Canyon National Park says that a body that was found on Friday is likely of a 14-year-old hiker who went missing nearly two weeks ago while in the bottom of the canyon during a family trip.
Jackson Standefer of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was crossing a creek on April 15 when he and his step-grandmother, LouAnn Merrell, lost their footing and were swept away.
Park rangers spent days searching with a helicopter, ground crew, drone and motorized inflatable boat. The search was scaled back last week.
The park says the body was found by a commercial river trip. It was transported by helicopter to the Coconino County Medical Examiner, which will confirm identification.
LouAnn Merrell, the wife of Merrell Boot Co. co-founder Randy Merrell, has not been found. Merrell is from Utah.
