The Grand Canyon Search Rescue recovered the deceased body of Chenoa Nickerson after she got swept away in a flash flood while hiking near Havasu Creek.
On August 22, 2024, Chenoa went on a hike on her 33rd birthday with her husband, Andrew Nickerson. After the flash flood, a group of rafters was able to rescue Andrew; however, Chenoa was missing for three days.
"There was never an adventure that was too big for her, which is why she adventured all over the world," Chenoa's sister Tamara Morales recalled.
A helicopter rescue team found Chenoa's body in the Colorado River. Later her body was sent to the Coconino County Medical Examiner for further investigation.
Who was Chenoa Nickerson?
Chenoa was born in 1991 in Luxembourg to Bodo and Yvonne Wolters. Chenoa moved to the United States with her family in 1993. Growing up, she lived in various states, including Connecticut, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
She had also lived in Germany and Ireland for 6 years before finally settling in Arizona, near her sister Kyra's house, in 2022. According to her obituary, Chenoa always had a knack for outdoor adventures, and hiking was one of them.
"We always say she was the best of us. She was full of life. She was fearless," Chenoa's sister Morales said. "I'm the oldest, and she learned how to ride a bicycle before I did because I was too scared—but not Chenoa."
A flash flood hit the Grand Canyon National Park on Thursday, August 22, 2024, when Chenoa and her husband Andrew were out on a hike. Although Andrew was recovered by some rafters, Chenoa was nowhere to be found. She was described as a 5 feet 8 inches tall white woman with brown hair and blue eyes.
According to the National Park Services, search methods included aerial search, ground search, and rescue vessels to search for people who went missing. Chenoa was later discovered by a commercial river rafter in the Colorado River.
Chenoa shared three siblings, including two sisters and a brother, who started a charity in honor of Chenoa and to show gratitude to the Grand Canyon National Park Search and Rescue for their efforts. According to them, the fund will be used for search and rescue training, rescue supplies, updated equipment, and other things.
"These brave men and women utilized every resource to find our sweet sister by navigating dangerous terrain with extremely limited methods of communication while leaving no stone unturned; we are profoundly grateful for them and fully acknowledge that they defied the impossible to bring our family the gift of closure," it read.
Chenoa's sister Tamara Morales also started a GoFundMe campaign in memory of Chenoa and in order to give back to the rescue search team who tirlessly looked for her. The fund had raised $23,660. According to her,
"Our aim is to pay it forward by fostering a culture of gratitude and support. We believe that by helping others we can create a positive ripple effect, inspiring those around us to do the same."
Months after Chenoa was recovered, her family organized a memorial service on November 10, 2024, at Sun Valley Community Church in the South Gilbert Campus.
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"Chenoa will always be remembered for her kind heart and boundless love that she generously extended to everyone she encountered, and her absence will be felt profoundly every day," her obituary read.
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