Grand Canyon finds last flood victim’s body, wife confirms
Human remains found this week in the Grand Canyon are those of the last person missing after deadly late-August flash flooding, the victim’s wife said Thursday. The discovery of Timothy Allen Smith, 53, brought the death toll to three from the flooding that devastated the Phantom Ranch area at the canyon bottom and damaged the water pipeline serving the South Rim.
Smith was a pilot from Star Valley in western Wyoming. His remains were found Monday near Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River.
The remains of Smith’s two backcountry companions were found earlier. Brent Rosenkranz, 42, and John Giusti, 46, both of Granbury, Texas, were on a multiday hiking, fishing and camping trip with Smith when flooding swept through the canyon.
Smith grew up in Granbury and lived in Star Valley Ranch, about 40 miles southwest of Jackson, with his wife, Carrie Smith.
During the two-day deluge, searchers used night vision and other equipment to find people in need of rescue. They relied on the Grand Canyon National Park’s permit system and checked vehicle license plates to track those still missing.
More than 80 people were rescued. Soon, only Smith was missing. In a Facebook video at the time, Carrie Smith and their children thanked people for their support and prayers.
On Tuesday morning, Carrie Smith posted on Facebook that the family was aware a body had been found a day earlier and asked others to pray with them. She confirmed in a Facebook post on Thursday that the remains had been identified as her husband’s.
“My family has done a lot of waiting over the last three weeks … waiting and hoping Tim (Daddy) would come home, waiting and wondering if the remains found were Tim (Daddy),” she wrote. “We no longer have to wait, Tim was found two days ago by the Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park. Not in the way we had hoped, but we know that he was doing something he loved with John and Brent.”
She added, “We know that these three men loved the Lord and were a shining light for Him. The impact their lives had on others is still being shown to our families daily.”
The National Park Service and Department of the Interior did not return email messages seeking comment Thursday. The agencies have not publicly identified the remains.
The flooding began Aug. 29 during the summer monsoon season, when clear skies can give way to thunderstorms and heavy rain. The rain fell on part of a North Rim burn area left after a lightning-caused wildfire in July 2025 that destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, cabins and other structures. Burn areas can worsen flash flooding because there is less vegetation to absorb runoff.
Many hiking trails and lodging areas remain closed, and water has been shut off in the inner canyon, prompting advisories that hikers bring their own water or water filtration devices.
Another flash flood hit the canyon along Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River during a storm Wednesday, park officials said. Authorities said efforts to minimize personnel in the canyon before the storm, along with flash flood warnings, enabled crews to reach safety. Damage assessments were underway.
