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Body of 20-year-old recovered from Grand Canyon, third death within a week


Body of 20-year-old recovered from Grand Canyon, third death within a week

A 20-year-old woman from New Mexico is the third person found dead in Grand Canyon National Park in the last week.

According to a National Park Service press release, the body of Leticia A. Castillo was found on Tuesday, August 6, below Twin Overlooks on Desert View Drive.

The Albuquerque resident is believed to have entered the Grand Canyon on or around Saturday, August 3.

After several days of searching, authorities said Castillo’s remains were found “approximately 150 feet below the rim” of the canyon, where they were recovered by park rangers.

Castillo’s body was eventually transported to the Coconino County Coroner’s Office, where it was later identified.

Both the National Park Service and the CCME are investigating Castillo’s death.

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Castillo is the third person to die in Grand Canyon National Park in the last week. The first was 20-year-old Abel Joseph Mejia of Hickory, North Carolina, who died in an accidental fall from the rim near the Pipe Creek Overlook on Wednesday, July 31.

“Mr. Mejia was near the edge when he accidentally fell,” the park administration said in a statement at the time.

The Pentecostal church Turning Point later announced that the 20-year-old was on a “mission trip” when the “accident” occurred.

The day before Mejia’s accident, an unidentified man died while attempting an illegal base jump with a parachute from Yavapai Point into the Grand Canyon, according to park service officials.

The man’s body was later found about 150 meters below the canyon rim next to his opened parachute.

Authorities are also investigating the two previous incidents.

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