Arizona hiker found dead at Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park after thunderstorm, flash flooding

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An overdue hiker was found dead on a trail at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah on Friday after a thunderstorm dumped heavy rain and caused flash flooding in the area, officials said.

Jeanne Roblez Howell, 64, of Sedona, Arizona, set off at 2 p.m. on a hike on the Fairyland Loop trail but failed to return by 7 p.m., the National Park Service (NPS) said.

Howell was reported missing, and park authorities immediately launched a search in cooperation with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and Utah Department of Public Safety.

The search ended at 1:30 a.m. Saturday when Howell’s body was found within Campbell Canyon, which officials say is located about one mile east of the Fairyland Loop.

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A hiker was reported missing Friday evening after failing to return from the 8-mile Fairyland Loop Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. (National Park Service, File)

Howell was pronounced dead at the scene. No cause of death was immediately provided.

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Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southern Utah about four hours from Las Vegas. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“This is a tragic event, and our deepest sympathy goes out to the victim’s friends and family,” said Allana Olbrich, acting Bryce Canyon superintendent, in a written statement.

A thunderstorm dumped heavy rain and caused flash flooding in the area on the afternoon that Howell had set off on her hike, park officials said. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

At the time Howell was hiking the trail, NPS said a thunderstorm inundated the northern end of the park with heavy rain, and flash floods were spotted in dry washes along the 8-mile Fairyland Loop trail.

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Bryce Canyon National Park, which turned 100 years old this year, is located in southern Utah about four hours northeast of Las Vegas.