Human remains found during search at Grand Canyon

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Crews searching for a missing antheral astatine Grand Canyon National Park made an unexpected find this summer.

They recovered the remains of different person, believed to beryllium Scott Walsh, who was past seen stepping disconnected a shuttle autobus astatine the park’s South Rim successful 2015. The covering had blended successful with the surroundings, and the assemblage was positioned successful a mode that made it astir undetectable, said parkland spokeswoman Joelle Baird.

“It happens each erstwhile successful a portion present during searches that we extremity up uncovering radical we weren’t expecting,” she said Wednesday.

Crews had been looking for Gabor Berczi-Tomscanyi, a Hungarian nationalist who lived successful Hong Kong. He was reported missing to constabulary successful Las Vegas successful precocious July portion traveling successful the U.S. Southwest. The car helium was driving was located successful a Grand Canyon parking batch successful mid-August and his assemblage was recovered a fewer days aboriginal — astir 430 feet beneath the canyon’s rim astatine Yavapai Point.

Authorities determined Berczi-Tomscanyi died from a traumatic autumn but are inactive investigating what led up to it.

The different assemblage was spotted during an aerial hunt for Berczi-Tomscanyi. It was recovered astir 600 feet beneath the Pipe Creek place and astir 3 miles from wherever Walsh’s time battalion was recovered successful 2015, Baird said.

“The information that helium was recovered was conscionable coincidental,” she said. “We weren’t needfully looking for him, and helium wasn’t a idiosyncratic that was truly connected our radar.”

Walsh wasn’t reported to the parkland arsenic missing successful 2015. His past known residence was successful Ecuador. Park officials judge it’s him due to the fact that the time battalion had prescriptions with his sanction connected them, and a overgarment recovered with the remains had a driver’s licence issued to Walsh retired of Brooklyn, New York, Baird said. He was 56 years old.

The parkland hasn’t been capable to find immoderate contiguous household but has talked with friends of Walsh, Baird said.

The Coconino County aesculapian examiner’s bureau is moving to corroborate the individuality of the skeletal remains. County spokeswoman Trish Lees said that mightiness necessitate DNA testing.

Unintentional finds don’t hap often astatine Grand Canyon National Park, which covers 1,904 quadrate miles. The parkland is bigger than the authorities of Rhode Island.

Rangers doing scheduled grooming person recovered remains of radical months and years aft they were reported missing. Sometimes, rafters connected the Colorado River that flows done the Grand Canyon find them.

In December 2017, rafters connected a time hike recovered the remains of a California antheral who was past seen connected a way successful June of that year.

In 2015, a radical of rafters successful hunt of aged mining instrumentality connected a hike successful the canyon came crossed the wreckage of a tiny craft with quality bones scattered nearby.

Investigators had agelong suspected the homebuilt level was piloted by Joseph Radford of Glendale, Arizona, and crashed successful the canyon successful March 2011, apt connected purpose, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. But until the rafters’ discovery, determination were nary ocular signs of a clang site.