Flash flood sweeps hiker away from husband and sons in Arizona canyon, officials say
A family of five traveled to northern Arizona from Louisville, Kentucky, to explore colorful, towering sandstone canyons the weekend of July 30.
Once they made it to Labyrinth Canyon at Lake Powell, the group rented a boat and hiked around that Saturday, officials said.
Meanwhile, storms continued to develop across the northern parts of the state including heavy rainfall. Flagstaff National Weather Service issued multiple flash flood warnings that day.
The remote canyon can only be accessed by kayak or paddleboard.
Heather Rutledge, 43, was hiking around 2 p.m. when she was swept away from her husband and three sons by the flash floods, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Her husband and children pulled Rutledge from the water and attempted to perform CPR, but they could not revive her, officials said.
The family could not move her so they returned to their rental boat in an attempt to transport her body. But officials said the boat had been damaged and was not drivable.
Instead, the family was towed by another boater out of the canyon until contacting the National Park Service. Officials transported the group to Antelope Point Marina, around 12 miles from Lake Powell.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and NPS responded to the incident around 6 p.m. Search and rescue efforts were initially halted until the following morning due to another flash flood warning, weather conditions and darkness, officials said.
Officials resumed search efforts by boat at the canyon on Sunday around 6 a.m., though they ran into a few obstacles reaching Rutledge’s body.
“Due to flood debris, rescuers could not use the kayaks to get up the rest of the canyon and had to swim through heavy canyon debris, to locate the deceased,” the news release said.
But Rutledge’s body was eventually located and transported to Wahweap Marina and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s office.
Labyrinth Canyon is located near Page, Arizona, and borders Utah.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Flash flood sweeps hiker away from husband and sons in Arizona canyon, officials say."
