The first victim of the deadly Grand Canyon flash flood was identified as 46-year-old John Giusti. The Texas father was found dead on Sunday, August 30, as two of his friends remain missing.
Heavy rainfall began when Giusti was camping and hiking near the South Rim of the national park on Saturday, August 30, the New York Post reported.
Who was John Giusti?
Giusti was a father of three who operated a practice as a chiropractor in Granbury.
“He poured himself into helping others and brought tremendous energy to everything he loved. He was an avid runner, loved fast cars and was a passionate fan of comic books and their legendary heroes,” his family told KPNX 12News.
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“To the community, he was a gifted healer. To his friends, a powerhouse of life. To his daughters, he was their ultimate hero. To me, he was my whole world,” Giusti’s wife said in a statement to FOX 4.
{{/usCountry}}“To the community, he was a gifted healer. To his friends, a powerhouse of life. To his daughters, he was their ultimate hero. To me, he was my whole world,” Giusti’s wife said in a statement to FOX 4.
{{/usCountry}}Giusti was visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time when he disappeared. His body was later found near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River.
His wife issued a plea on Facebook before he was found.
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“We ask our ChiroHabit community to please lift up my husband, his hiking group, and our families in your thoughts and prayers during this time,” she wrote in a Facebook post that was later deleted.
Two of Giusti’s friends who remain missing are 42-year-old Brent Rosenkranz and 53-year-old Timothy Allen Smith. They were last heard from on Thursday. All three of them were hiking up to Bright Angel Campground on Friday and were exploring on Saturday before the flash flood.
So far, two people have died and about 15 remain missing after the weekend’s flood at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Video footage taken by hikers show muddy water rushing by a trail and under footbridges, and logs and other debris floating down swollen rivers.
The National Park Service stated that the floods hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area on Saturday, August 29, adding that it was working with Arizona authorities to evacuate people and account for missing individuals.
The flash flood began about 2:30 pm on Saturday. It was caused by rainfall on the Kaibab Plateau.